Inspired
by Silverone
Summary: Ryuichi Sakuma develops an unexpected crush on the lead singer of ASK. Whats a hyper active pop legend to do? RyuTaki and other pairings. COMPLETE
1. Start of an obessesion

Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
Genres: Humor/Romance/slight Angst.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation or it's characters.  
  
It's my first fic, so I hope people like. The pairing is Ryuichi/Aizawa. Don't give me dirty looks.  
  
This is slightly AU as I mess around with the timeline a bit.  
  
Revision 3

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It's funny how love and the creative impulse are so alike. They both hit suddenly and unexpectedly. They also have this really bad tendency towards jerking people around. For better or worse, creativity and love are both exceedingly cruel and inescapable. Ryuichi Sakuma had always known this, but was learning it yet again.  
  
He had just needed something to do while he was in town. Tohma had offered him free tickets for some band called ASK. Ryuichi took them and went with Kumagoro.  
  
He had forgotten how exciting it was to be a part of the crowd instead of up on stage. The roar of the excited fan girls was a different experience when you were apart of it. It felt nice.  
  
The show started. And for some reason he couldn't explain, he was mesmerized. Even though most of the songs were about angst and longing, he was still mesmerized.  
  
The moment he stepped out onto the stage, Ryuichi couldn't take his eyes off Taki Aizawa. Slender and beautiful. Drinking in every moment of adoration. Knowing the world was his for the night.  
  
It reminded Ryuichi of when he had performed with Nittle Grasper. The crowd, the lights, the noise, the fear and the excitement. It all came together and suddenly the fear would be washed away, leaving only the excitement, pounding through your body like some powerful, illegal substance.  
  
It was obvious that this man was experiencing that feeling. It was a sight that had never been as beautiful to Ryuichi as it was now. He couldn't remember ever staring at anyone like that before.  
  
After the concert, he went home, feeling a strange buzz that he couldn't ignore. He had to write a song about it. To describe that man. To describe how he felt.  
  
But, he couldn't. Every song he came up with seemed wrong. Nothing captured Taki Aizawa. Nothing captured what Ryuichi felt. Just as he felt he had it, a word would suddenly jump out revealing every flaw.  
  
Even Kumagoro couldn't help him. Ryuichi felt like he was going mad. Normally, when he wanted something, it was right with in his reach. He hated doing without. He had to meet this man. But, if he went without the right words, he knew it wouldn't work out. In his mind, songs were the only effective way to express his emotions.  
  
Worse, there were suddenly all these distractions. He had met Shuichi Shindou and started singing songs with Tohma and Noriko again. He had to focus on writing the songs everyone wanted to hear. He couldn't waste time on a song about Taki Aizawa.  
  
He did try though. But, it only seemed to get harder. Ryuichi got ASK's CDs and listened to them. He started attending more of their concerts. All in the hopes that he would get some inspiration.  
  
He needed that inspiration. He had to write a song for his perfect angel. That was the only way he could come to a resolution with Taki Aizawa.  
  
But, no matter what it only seemed to get harder. It was hard to put those feelings on paper. But, it had to be said, otherwise he would explode. Of all the times to have writer's block.  
  
One day, Kumagoro asked him why he needed the song just to talk to Aizawa. After all, in Kumagoro's mind, saying "I love you" was as easy as 1-2-3.  
  
"Because, if I don't then I won't know what I want to say to him."  
  
Kumagoro then asked him why he wouldn't know. And for one of the first times in his life Ryuichi honestly couldn't answer. And he hated that feeling.

* * *

To be continued...  
  
Next time, Ryuichi decides he needs an expert opinion...


	2. Advice from Shu, good idea or disaster?

Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
Genre: Humor/Romance/Slight Angst  
  
[]a character's thoughts.  
  
a flashback  
  
Wow. I did another chapter. Thanks for the reviews. It makes me feel special.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 2  
  
After many sleepless nights, it occurred to Ryuichi that what he needed was advice. Then maybe, just maybe, he could plan a course of action. After all, the song idea was getting him no where. Maybe it was time to do what normal people did.  
  
The thing was, who could help him? Sure, he had Kumagoro, but the rabbit was also stumped over the Taki problem. So, he and Kumagoro sat over breakfast going over all the relationship experts he knew.  
  
Tohma or Noriko, no. He felt too embarrassed to ask his two best friends for help. Being thirty and single was still something he was a little ashamed of. And well, he wasn't sure if they could help him with guy problems.  
  
This excluded Mika, who would no doubt tell Tohma. He was actually quite relieved by this conclusion because Mika scared him. Kumagoro and Ryuichi shivered at the thought of Tohma's scary wife.  
  
There was Tatsuha. He was a swinging guy in every sense of the word. But, every time he was around Tatsuha, there was this strange vibe. Plus, for some reason, the boy was always groping Ryuichi. He already got enough of that from his female fans, thank you very much.  
  
Shuichi and Yuki... Yes, that could work. Well, maybe not Yuki. He was a grump after all. It was still a wonder to Ryuichi that Yuki had snagged Shuichi. But, that thought aside, Shuichi was definitely the one to go to.

* * *

Ryuichi walked into NG Studio's, Kumagoro in tow, smile in place. He felt confidant that Shuichi would be able to help him. After all, what were friends for? Thinking these thoughts, he was rather surprised when he walked into a war zone.  
  
He carefully stepped out and leaned against the wall, severely shaken. He really wasn't sure what it was he had seen. He thought he saw K waving his big gun around, Sakano ranting and raving about something, Hiro and Fujisaki trying to calm down the Manager and Producer, and Shuichi ranting on about Yuki. Needless to say, Ryuichi decided to wait until it blew over.  
  
It grew awfully silent in the room. Then he could hear the sound of people running to the door. The door flew open and there was an outburst of voices falling over themselves in an attempt to apologize. It took a moment before everyone settled down and Ryuichi assured them that there was no reason to get excited. Smiling, he pulled Shuichi over.  
  
"Can I borrow him for a minute?" Everyone nodded, stupefied. Ryuichi took Shuichi to the break room and made sure they were alone. Shuichi was all sparklies the whole time. He was oblivious to Ryuichi's nervousness.  
  
"Shuichi. I need advice. Romantic advice."

* * *

Ryuichi smiled as he walked down the street. He not only had advice, but there had been an unexpected treat as well....  
  
/"Romantic Advice!" Shuichi exclaimed jumping up, his voice rising five decibels. "You have a girlfriend? Or is it a boy?" Shuichi winked at him slyly.  
  
Ryuichi winced, wondering if he had ever been that shrill at eighteen.  
  
"It's a guy, and we're not dating, yet. He doesn't even know I'm interested." Ryuichi suddenly felt nervous and was playing with Kumagoro's ears, face burning scarlet red. He had never thought he'd be having this conversation. Shuichi leaned closer.  
  
"Who is it?" He asked, looking at his idol closely.  
  
"Well, it's someone you might know..." Suddenly the door opened, and who should have been there, but the one and only Taki Aizawa. Silence reigned as the three looked at each other.  
  
"Sakuma and… Shindou." Taki said the last name with obvious annoyance. Shuichi looked at the man vacantly.  
  
"And you are...?" Taki face faulted.  
  
"Taki Aizawa! Of ASK!" He shouted.  
  
"Oh, those guys." Said Shuichi, remembering the annoying rivalry he had going on with that band. Taki scowled once more and walked over to the vending machines to get something to drink.  
  
The whole time, Ryuichi just stared. Taki Aizawa... He almost drooled all over himself. By now, the dark-haired man had gotten his soda and was about to leave the room, but stopped and looked at Ryuichi for a moment. It dawned on the older man that his stare was being returned. He quickly turned his head away, hoping he didn't look too obvious. Aizawa stood there for a few moments, shrugged and then left.  
  
Shuichi scowled a little longer then visibly brightened and turned to Ryuichi. "So who were you saying it was?"  
  
"Eh, that's not important." Ryuichi blushed. Maybe he'd better not be completely upfront about everything. He didn't want to be laughed at. Shuichi pouted, but decided to drop it.  
  
"Well, so you want advice? Why me?" Shuichi sounded confused.  
  
"Because, you're the only person I know that's in a steady relationship with another man. So I figured you would know what I had to do." Ryuichi looked at Shuichi knowing his love life and his sanity were in his friend's hands.  
  
"You came to me? For advice?" Shuichi began to tear up. "It's a dream come true!" Cried Shuichi as he started hugging Ryuichi. They spent the next few hours bonding and discussing. And Shuichi even gave him a list.  
  
"Just remember, if it works out, you have to tell me who it is." Said Shuichi as he left, going back to his fellow band members./  
  
Ryuichi hugged the notepad close to himself.  
  
"It's strange, isn't it Kumagoro? It's no longer about a song. I can't believe how wonderful this feels."  
  
He felt confidant and excited. He didn't know what he was feeling for sure. It could be love. Could be. But, he wanted to be sure.  
  
"And thanks to Shuichi, it's all possible I'm getting him front row tickets to every Nittle Grasper concert from now on. Let's see, what was that first step again?" Ryuichi flipped open the note pad.  
  
"The first and most important thing to keep in mind is that you have to be assertive. No matter how scared you are, no matter how much he kicks and screams, you can't give up. Be persistent and he will fall for your charms." That was what Shuichi had said.  
  
"Now, how can I assert myself?"

* * *

To be continued....

Being assertive is good, but just how do you assert yourself?  
  
Please review if you feel like it and give me advice. I hope to try my best.


	3. Taki's Stalker

Rating: PG-13  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Slight Angst  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki  
  
Thanks for the reviews as always. I know that this chapter is rather short. Sorry.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"For the last time, you aren't being stalked Tachi." Said Ma-kun, looking at his vocalist in exasperation.  
  
"How do you know that? We're famous. So a stalker is a perfectly good explanation." Taki glared back at Ma-kun. They were taking a break before they got back to recording. And as had often happened, a fight had started.  
  
"You're being paranoid!" Yelled Ma-kun, who had yet to get his caffeine intake for the day.  
  
"I keep telling you, someone's following me! I can feel them watching me, and they keep calling my house and hanging up!" The two looked ready to go at each other's throats, when suddenly they both turned to look at Ken.  
  
"What?" He asked, oblivious to the danger.  
  
"Tell him he's wrong!" They both shouted in unison. Ken really wanted to run out of the room. He was on Ma-kun's side, as Ma-kun was the rational one, but let Taki hear that and all hell would break loose.  
  
"Well Taki, maybe you're just a little stressed?" He said, hoping it didn't sound like a condemnation of his friend's sanity, which it did. Taki suddenly looked ready to explode. Ken began to back away, Ma-kun looked equally worried. But, instead Taki's shoulders went slack.  
  
"Fine. But, when I end up cut into tiny, little pieces, you're going to be sorry." Taki said, sounding bitter.

* * *

Ryuichi leaned against the doorway to the room and sighed. "Oh, no. Now, I'm driving him crazy."  
  
He hadn't meant to stalk him. It's just that well, asserting one's self was hard. So, he'd ended up trailing Taki, watching from a distance. He had even found out what Taki's home phone number was but still choked. And now this...  
  
"I'm such a coward!" He screamed. He began to sob and was so caught up in his grief that he didn't immediately notice he had an audience.  
  
"Ryuichi... Sakuma..." Ryuichi looked up to see all three members of ASK staring at him. Normally, it would have been a cause of much excitement, except he was, well crying. Ryuichi's eyes got wide as he realized Taki was there.  
  
"Eh, hi there." Ryuichi waved, trying to put on his best happy face. The three just stared back at him not sure what to make of the situation. It wasn't everyday Ryuichi Sakuma lay before you, a sack of tears. Ryuichi sat there waiting for the perfect chance to run away, when it hit him. Now was his chance to...  
  
Ryuichi jumped up and slung an arm around Taki. "Come on, let's go." He began dragging off a really confused Taki. Ken and Ma-kun, just stood there, doing nothing to stop their friend's abduction.  
  
"What was that?" Said Ma-kun.  
  
"His stalker?" Replied Ken.

* * *

To be continued...  
  
Sorry it's so short. I hope to get the next chapter out soon.  
  
I also hope my take on Ryuichi and Taki's personalities fits. 


	4. Kidnapped by an idiot

Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
Genres: Humor/Romance/Slight Angst  
  
[]a character's thoughts.  
  
I'm having a lot of fun writing this. Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is also rather short.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Taki Aizawa considered himself a rather calm man. Granted he could be emotional or even a bitch, but he was generally able to keep things under control. It's alright to get excited, but don't get too excited. That's what allowed him to comprehend the fact that his manager was Tohma Seguchi and not turn into a slobbering fan boy.  
  
But, when he felt himself losing control, it was another thing entirely. He couldn't stand that feeling and would do anything to stop it. And now was one of those times when he was on the brink of losing it. Actually, he had already lost it quite literally.  
  
He had just been drug out of NG studios by Ryuichi Sakuma. He'd been allowing this behavior for five blocks because the sheer lunacy of the situation had destroyed his ability to think and react. Now he was coming to his senses and was feeling a little pissed.  
  
"Let me go." He muttered, struggling to get out of Ryuichi's strangle hold. Ryuichi panicked realizing what he had done, but instead of letting go, he reflexively tightened his grip. Ryuichi was quite strong for a little guy and Taki could feel the air being squeezed out of his lungs. The taller man struggled even harder and suddenly, he was able to throw Ryuichi off. Ryuichi fell on his butt and Taki slammed backwards against a brick wall.  
  
"Ouch." Whimpered Ryuichi, as he stood up, rubbing his rear end. Taki leaned against the wall gasping for breath. People on the street stopped to look at them, but said nothing, just shaking their heads and moving on.  
  
"What the hell are you thinking?" Taki was close to losing his temper.  
  
"I, I..." Ryuichi began cursing himself when he realized that he was going to choke again. [I won't do it again. Not this time...] "What, don't you want to hang out with me?" He put on a pouty expression. He was remembering Shuichi's notes again.  
  
Step Number Two: Flirt, but don't be obvious or he'll think you're easy. Play up your natural cuteness. If that fails, just whimper and look like the world is about to come to an end. It gets them every time.  
  
"I don't bite." Ryuichi smiled as he ran his fingers through his hair. Taki looked at him, a little freaked out by what he had just seen.  
  
[Did he just flirt with me?] As absurd as the thought was...  
  
[Nah, he didn't. He couldn't have.]  
  
"Sure you don't." Taki had considered saying something a little nastier, but stopped himself.  
  
[This is Ryuichi Sakuma. If I piss him off, Tohma might very well dump us. I don't want that.]  
  
"Why the sudden interest in "hanging?" He'd play it smooth and remain quiet. Maybe one of the guys was playing a joke on him.  
  
"I think you're neat." Ryuichi replied, blushing a little. Taki was taken aback yet again considering that he really didn't know Ryuichi Sakuma that well. [I'm… Neat?]  
  
"Yeah, sure." [Oh God, maybe he is flirting with me… Snap out of it Taki! You're thinking like some deluded fan girl. Wait a moment... Are people staring at us?]  
  
In fact, people and traffic had stopped to gawk at what was now a rather strange display. You could hear the mummers of people.  
  
"Isn't that Ryuichi Sakuma?"  
  
"It's that guy from ASK. You know that CD the kids' like..."  
  
"Is it some kind of lover's quarrel?"  
  
Ryuichi had noticed the crowd as well and froze up a little. [Damn, forgot my sunglasses.]  
  
"Sorry to trouble you folks, but me and my friend will be going now." He grinned sheepishly and grabbed Taki's wrist, being a little less rough. Taki resisted for a moment. Ryuichi leaned in close and whispered, "What, do you want to stay here and get mauled?"  
  
"I hate to break it to you, but most of the fan girls are either at school or work." Taki whispered back. Ryuichi was frustrated for a moment, until he remembered another note of Shuichi's.  
  
Note 3: Food is the way to a man's heart. At the very least, if you stuff him with enough food, he'll have a harder time resisting you.  
  
"I'll treat you to an all you can eat seafood buffet. Really expensive. My treat." He whispered, trying to make it sound tempting. [Food will work. It always works. What kind of person doesn't like food?]  
  
One thought was going through Taki's mind. [This sounds suspiciously like a date. But, it can't be a date. That would make Ryuichi gay. That would mean he thinks I'm gay. But, that can't be. He's not gay. Well, sure there are all those rumors about him and Tohma, but that's just the fans...right, right? And why would he think I'm gay? I'm not giving off some sort of vibe, am I?]  
  
"Taki? Taki?" Ryuichi shook his sleeve worriedly. "You want to come get lunch, right? Right?" Ryuichi asked worriedly.  
  
"Uh, yeah sure." Said Taki. some rather scary thoughts still running through his head. Ryuichi hailed a Taxi and pulled Taki in with him. Taki was still oblivious to the world. He could hear Ryuichi giving directions to the driver, but for the moment was still not fully aware.  
  
[If he thinks I'm gay and he wants to go out on a date... Wait a moment. I just said yes to something... Oh no! I just agreed to go on a date with Ryuichi Sakuma...]

* * *

To Be Continued...  
  
What is going to happen on this supposed... date? Will Ryuichi make it? Will Taki survive?  
  
I sometimes worry that I'm not writing Ryuichi correctly. But, I'd like to think that I'm capturing his more mature side, while still reflecting his childish side as well. Tell me what you think.  
  
Please read and review.


	5. Ryuichi, another word for immaturity

Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
[]a character's thoughts

Flashback  
  
Note: This is my longest chapter so far. I'm so proud.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Ryuichi believed in dreams. He also believed that dreams came true. If someone had to ask him what evidence he had, he could happily point to the current situation. He was now sitting across from the man of his dreams, in a fancy restaurant, on what could technically be considered a date, and he was drinking up every moment of it. Of course, they hadn't said anything in the course of an hour, but hey, it was all good. Well, it would be once he refilled his plate.  
  
"I'll be right back!" He said cheerfully, running back to the buffet. Taki just shook his head. He still didn't know whether to be mortified, enraged, or deliriously happy. [I should be angry. I've practically been kidnapped.]  
  
Should was the operative word. He had not only been kidnapped, but he had also been subjected to public humiliation and was now possibly about to be subjected to more. Plus, he had the sinking suspicion that the supposed lobster on his plate was actually a crab.  
  
"Wow, I really love the shrimp salad, what about you?" Ryuichi was sounding awfully cheerful as he came back.  
  
"It's okay, I guess." He muttered to himself as he tried to unsuccessfully take his eyes off the other. [What the hell do I do? What am I supposed to say?]

He had never felt so awkward in his entire life. On one hand, the Ryuichi Sakuma was eating with him, on the other hand, he got the impression that Ryuichi just might want something a little too difficult even think about at the moment. Then again, maybe he was just imagining Ryuichi making eyes at him. Had to be. That just had to be it.  
  
"Is something on my face?" Ryuichi asked. He sure hoped Taki hadn't noticed he was blushing. [Then again, he has to find out eventually. But, I want it to be perfect. I wish I could talk to Kumagoro.] Unfortunately, Kumagoro was at the dry cleaners.

Taki was shaken out of his little world. "Eh, well... I..." [What the hell is wrong with me? I must look like an idiot. Now he's going to think... God I need a drink.]  
  
"Or are you full? Sick? Thirsty? Tired? Angry? Sleepy?" Ryuichi was panicking, Sakano style. [No please don't let anything go wrong, please.]  
  
Taki stared at him and was about to protest, except for... Ryuichi looked kind of cute like that... [Whoa... I didn't just think that.] He shook his head as if that would shoo away the aberrant thought.  
  
"I'm fine. Let's go somewhere else." Taki was getting nervous as Ryuichi's little freak out was drawing unwelcome attention, again. If Taki was stuck "hanging" with him, it was going to be on his terms.  
  
Ryuichi perked up. [Hooray! He's not mad at me. And he still wants to continue the date.] Sure, it was only technically a date, but in Ryuichi's mind, "technically" was all that was needed.

* * *

Somehow, it seemed that the situation had gotten worse. They had ended up at Taki's apartment. Taki didn't know how, just that they had. It was private and safer then going to Ryuichi's, in theory.  
  
"Wow. This place could fit in my living room." Ryuichi said with a giggle as he hopped in through the door.  
  
Taki frowned, even more displeased. [This is quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever done.] "Make yourself at home." Though, based on the way Ryuichi had flopped down on the couch, Taki had just wasted his breath. "Er, I'll go get some drinks. Soda fine?" He would've preferred a beer, or two, or three, but he didn't want to get so drunk he'd do something that he'd regret later on. And he doubted a drunken Ryuichi would be good either.  
  
Ryuichi looked as Taki walked into the kitchen. He felt all fluttery. [I can't believe he invited me in. Just stay calm. Nothing's going to happen. He doesn't even know...]  
  
That thought almost depressed him, but did it really matter? Did it really matter if Taki liked him back? Maybe it was just enough to be with him today. Suddenly he was interrupted by a can of Pepsi being held in front of his face.  
  
"Thanks." Ryuichi said, as he popped open the can and drunk half of it down. Taki took a swallow from his as he sat down next to the older man, trying to ignore him. Ryuichi could already feel the sugar rushing through his veins and wasn't feeling as nervous now. He looked around for something to do and saw a remote laying next to him. Grabbing it, he turned the TV on.  
  
He flipped through the channels until he found an anime show. It was one of those shows where a group of high school girls battled against evil by magically changing into skimpy, albeit cute outfits. Taki felt like he was going to gag on the cuteness. Yet, Ryuichi was glued to the TV set, as if he was watching a riveting drama.  
  
"It's my favorite episode! The one where Yuriko finally confesses her love to Saki!" Ryuichi was squirming in his spot excitedly. A few minutes into the show though and Taki had to ask a rather nagging question.  
  
"You're thirty, right?"

"Yep." Ryuichi said as he focused on the show. Taki sighed, trying to find a better way to get his point across.  
  
"You do realize that this is a show for teenage girls?" He couldn't believe he was putting up with this girly crap.  
  
"Who says I can't watch it? What are you, the TV police?" Ryuichi said defensively. He would not allow anyone to tell him what to watch, even Taki. At that moment, the younger man gave up on being tactful.  
  
"I want to watch something else." He grabbed the remote and flipped the channel over until he reached an action movie. Ryuichi got a crabby look on his face.  
  
"Change it back!" [What's his problem?]  
  
"No." [Why should I when it's my apartment?] Ryuichi grabbed the remote and changed it back to the previous station. Taki pulled it out of his hands and changed it back.  
  
"Hey, what was that for?" Ryuichi was getting just a little crabby. He wasn't used to be being refused. He wasn't used to getting this angry either.  
  
"Nothing." Taki said. He was beginning to regret this. When Ryuichi lunged at him in an attempt to get the remote, he suddenly regretted it even more.  
  
The sudden move resulted in both of them being drenched and Ryuichi laying on top of him in rather compromising position. It was also rather amazing how the soda had managed to splatter them both so thoroughly. They both lay there a moment, and then Ryuichi started laughing. Taki suddenly found himself laughing as well, so much so that he couldn't stop.  
  
The situation was just… absurd. Maybe it lay in the fact that this was all over cheesy anime. Maybe it lay in the fact that it was so unexpected. Maybe it was the sudden closeness of the two, the warmth. Maybe in Taki's mind was the fact that it wasn't so bad, not as bad as it should have been.  
  
Ryuichi allowed himself to savor the warmth beneath him. To enjoy the way Taki felt under him. The smell of his breath and the smell of soda soaking their clothes and hair. Just a little longer...  
  
"Er, maybe we should get changed." Taki was now feeling ashamed of feeling something he probably shouldn't have, not that he was sure what he was feeling or why.  
  
"You're right." Ryuichi replied, cursing in his mind that reality was already crashing his party.

* * *

Ryuichi leaned against the wall feeling rather cozy in the shirt and blue jeans Taki had lent him after he had taken his shower. He wished he had taken advantage of the whole soda situation, but this was good too. There was just something about your crush taking a shower that was, well definitely hot.  
  
Which was why he had to figure out an excuse to stay even longer. It was already getting to be evening. He had to make this last as long as possible. He could have cooked, but he doubted food would work twice. There was always honesty, well maybe.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by Taki exiting the bathroom. Like Ryuichi he was wearing a T-shirt and blue jeans. The older man blushed to himself, barely able to contain his delight. [He's so cute.]  
  
Taki frowned, annoyed at the obvious staring. Also, he was now aware that he had to do something with this... guest. He was tempted to just throw out Ryuichi and avoid the whole issue, but then there was the question of just how much he loved his job.  
  
"How about we try watching TV again?" Said Taki, hesitantly.  
  
"All right! Magical Warrior Pichu is going to be on!" Said Ryuichi, jumping up and down.  
  
"It's going to be a long night." Taki muttered.  
  
"Eh? What was that?" Said Ryuichi as he ran over to the couch.  
  
"Nothing, nothing..." [Yes. A really long night.]

* * *

To Be Continued...  
  
What happens when people get the wrong idea? Is it such a wrong idea?  
  
The two different animes mentioned by Ryuichi are made up. I just figured that Ryuichi's tastes might run towards cutesy anime. 


	6. Ryu's Charm

Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
[]a character's thoughts.

* * *

Inspired

Chapter 6  
  
Everyone always told him how uptight he was. They also said he took everything a little too personally. Taki always replied with the choice phrase, "Screw you," when possible. Throwing in a harsher explicative was sometimes optional. When he couldn't afford to express anger, he would just put on his best smile and ride it through.  
  
But, it seemed that Ryuichi Sakuma was sapping away his reserves of anger, sarcasm and lying. Every nasty quip he got off either resulted in crying or a fiasco similar to the soda one. And for some reason, he just couldn't fake being happy. But, it wasn't like he was unhappy either. It was as if Ryuichi was... What effect was Ryuichi having on him?  
  
He had been stuck watching anime and J-pop music videos with him for five hours, and he was enjoying it! He kept telling himself that he shouldn't be enjoying himself but he was. He didn't even mind that Ryuichi had been creeping closer to him the whole night and was now leaning against him.  
  
Of course by this time, he had become acculturated to Ryuichi's presence and they were watching something a little different from the previous fare. It was a horror anime with blood splattering everywhere and women losing their clothes. Ryuichi kept jumping on him at the scary parts. Taki had given up yelling at him after the tenth time.  
  
[It doesn't mean anything. He's just that kind of guy. I'm not enjoying it.] Some where in his mind echoed the saying, "The Nile isn't just a river in Egypt." Something like that. He really wanted to tell his brain to screw off.  
  
Ryuichi whimpered as he sat there. He didn't like scary movies. At least not ones like this. Those monsters were being so mean to that poor girl. Why did they keep ripping off her clothes and touching her? [Icky, gross, nasty! How can he like this stuff?] Ryuichi glared at Taki pitifully.  
  
Still, it seemed that Taki was being a little less squeamish around him. He was still going off somewhere in his head, but he no longer seemed uncomfortable in Ryuichi's presence. It wasn't his ideal situation, but for now it would do.  
  
Suddenly, on screen a guy began to get ripped to shreds. The display was one of those rather graphic ones that made even the most stalwart of souls flinch. Taki crinkled an eyebrow, really hoping that he hadn't made a mistake in borrowing it from Ma-kun. He felt Ryuichi bury his face in his shoulder. [It should be a chick doing that, not a guy.] He chose to ignore his feelings, whatever they were.  
  
"Tell me when it's over." Ryuichi whimpered, obviously scared out of his mind. Taki looked down at him for a moment, knowing that the blood letting scene was far from over.  
  
"You can look now." Ryuichi looked up at the screen, shrieked and went back to hiding his face in Taki's rather tear soaked shoulder.  
  
"Meanie!" Ryuichi cried, gripping the younger man even harder.  
  
Taki chuckled to himself, enjoying his wickedness. He didn't know why, but he really liked seeing Ryuichi react to his little games. It was... Well, he'd admit that he found the whole thing cute. It was Ryuichi Sakuma, so it was okay. [Yeah that's right. There's nothing wrong with thinking that way. We're all adults here. Well I am. Besides, lots of guys think this way. It doesn't make me… The g-word.]  
  
The phone started ringing, shaking Taki out of his reverie. Reaching over, he grabbed it.  
"Aizawa?" Came a soft voice and very terrifying voice.  
  
"Seguchi! Uh..." [Shit! That's right, I skipped work!] Ryuichi looked at Taki.  
  
"Is it Tohma!?" He sounded perky.  
  
"So Ryuichi is with you." The voice on the other end sounded relieved. There didn't seem to be any malice, which was a good sign. "I'll be sending someone over to pick him up." Taki felt himself crumple in relief. "Oh, and Aizawa," came Tohma's voice as an after thought, "don't go off again when you should be working. I won't tolerate fooling around on the job."  
  
There was a harsh, clicking noise as the phone hung up, causing Taki to cringe. Ryuichi was looking at him expectantly. "Seguchi's sending someone for you." He muttered to himself, feeling like he was saying something bad.  
  
Ryuichi went very quiet for a moment, looking as if Taki had told him to go jump in a lake. Ryuichi wanted to protest, scream, cry, confess, anything. But, it boiled inside, hidden by a smile that suddenly willed itself to form.  
  
"Just let me use your bathroom a second!" Ryuichi said, running off before Taki could say anything. He slammed the door behind him and closed his eyes. [Think Ryuichi! This could be your only chance. He's going to slip through your fingers otherwise.]  
  
Of all the times for Tohma to look for him. Of all the times for Tohma to think about something other then Eiri Yuki.

* * *

Ryuichi walked to the black car, feeling defeated. The moment the driver had knocked on the door, Taki had become incredibly eager to get rid of him, his whole demeanor changed. It wasn't so much as if he had treated Ryuichi like a problem, it was the fact that he had been smiling about it the whole time. A fake smile.  
  
To see all that frustration, annoyance and nervousness covered by a fake smile... It was insulting. As if he was dropping a bad habit. All he had to show for the day was even more pent up emotion, and a plastic bag containing his drenched clothes. Well, he still had Taki's clothes on, but right now he felt too agitated to even revel in that small victory.  
  
He got into the car and slammed the door. As the driver sped off, he began to grumble to himself. "What's the point? Stupid Taki."  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Said a voice.  
  
"More like a 1,000,000 yen worth. I screwed up. I just don't know what I'm going to do." Ryuichi started to ramble. "I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't. He made me so mad too. I didn't think love was supposed to be like this. It's supposed to be romantic, beautiful and wonderful! Not like, like..." He was having trouble finding the right words.  
  
"Go on." Ryuichi was suddenly aware that the voice wasn't imagined. In fact, the voice sounded awfully familiar and Ryuichi couldn't immediately place it. It wasn't coming from the driver, who had that little black window thingy up. He looked next to him and nearly jumped out of the car.  
  
"Hello, Ryu." Said Tohma, smiling.

* * *

Taki didn't want to go into work that morning. Even though he had received that warning from Tohma, he just didn't want to. It was bad enough that he couldn't beat out Bad Luck, but now he had this weird event to explain to everyone.  
  
He didn't know what had happened. He'd been so happy to have Ryuichi leave, yet he was also depressed and he didn't know why. As he ushered the pop star out, he had been all smiles, but when he was gone... It felt so empty.  
  
Having Ryuichi over had been different. Not like having a girl over. Not quite like when he hung out with Ma-kun and Ken either. Closer, but still different. He kept thinking about what had happened, not completely understanding it.  
  
Hell, how did that day even happen? It was as if, as if he had been caught up in a force greater then himself. Was this what had made Ryuichi famous? Was this what people thought Shuichi Shindou had? He shook his head in disgust at the thought of Shindou. [Maybe I'm just... I don't know.] He thought as he walked into work. He walked right into Ma-kun, the last person he wanted to see.  
  
"Yo, Tachi. How did the date go?" Ma-kun was grinning mischievously, which was always a bad sign. [It's way too early in the morning for this... Way too early.]  
  
"Date!? That was an abduction! A kidnapping! You and Ken just stood there like idiots!"  
  
"Well, we figured that since you have a few inches on him, that you were just playing hard to get." Ken said, in that damnably causal tone of his. They had been friends since grade school, but there were still times when Taki wanted to strangle the two and now was one of those times.  
  
"I didn't even know you swung that way Tachi." Ma-kun grinned, patting Taki on the shoulder. Taki frowned, removing the offending hand and resisting the urge to just rip it apart. "Though, I'd have thought you were the type to be more discreet."  
  
"What the hell are you on?" Taki was starring at them confused. They were taking this joke a little too far. 

Ken looked at him meaningfully, as if the vocalist was being an idiot. "Taki, people on the street saw you and said it looked like a date."  
  
"It wasn't!" Shouted Taki, glaring at full force. He wasn't aware that he was coming on a little too strong.

"Well, where were you the rest of the day, eh? Ukai and Seguchi couldn't reach Ryuichi either." Ma-kun said, looking mock serious. "Who knows what evil things you two were doing?"  
  
Taki stood there mouth open, ready to say something. To deny... He didn't know what to deny. [What is it I'm denying? I didn't do anything wrong. It's Ryuichi's fault, and he didn't do anything wrong either. At least I think he didn't. But why do I feel like he did do something?]  
  
"Screw off..." He muttered slamming the door behind him as he entered the recording studio.

* * *

"You have a crush. On Aizawa?" Noriko looked at Ryuichi, incredulously. Then she fell over and started laughing.  
  
"What's so funny? Kumagoro isn't laughing, and neither am I." Ryuichi pouted, holding his newly cleaned rabbit in his arms protectively. Tohma, who was sitting across from Ryuichi, smiled his usual, seemingly oblivious smile.  
  
"Now, now Noriko, let's be nice." The thirty year old stopped rolling around and sat up, wiping away her tears and catching her breath. She put an arm around Ryuichi's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry. I just can't believe our little Ryu is finally coming into bloom." With that she fell down laughing again. Ryuichi was about to cry again when Tohma looked at him, eyes saying "Don't Start." Ryuichi shut up. [That's right, I should just be glad that Noriko isn't killing me for not showing up for practice.]  
  
"Though, I must admit I'm still surprised. If you two were going on a date, you could have just told me. After all, I'm not an ogre." The president of N-G said it with such an angelic smile that you had to wonder if he was serious or not.  
  
"Tohma! I told you, it wasn't a date!" [As much as I wanted it to be...] By now, Noriko had regained her composure and was now looking at Ryuichi like he was as an idiot.  
  
"What!? You mean you had the chance and you blew it!" Ryuichi closed his eyes and banged his head on the table. Leave it to Noriko to state the obvious.  
  
"I know. I know." He said pathetically, wishing he could crawl into a hole and die. [Dammit. Why did I tell Tohma? And why did he have to tell Noriko?]  
  
"Gosh Ryuichi, you're worse then Shuichi." Noriko said, looking at him with pity. Tohma chuckled, about to revel another embarrassing tidbit.  
  
"Apparently, he was getting dating advice from Shindou."  
  
"What!!!? Shuichi's about as smart as a chicken with it's head cut off." She looked concerned suddenly, no longer joking. "Besides, it's not like you to keep something this important from us." Ryuichi looked down, feeling ashamed.  
  
"I, I'm sorry. I just felt so embarrassed. I'm acting like some stupid fan boy and all. I must look pretty pathetic to you guys." He hugged Kumagoro tighter. Both Noriko and Tohma glanced at each other then back at Ryuichi.  
  
"Ryu, I know that sometimes it seems like we're growing apart. We're all leading very different lives then when we first met. But Ryu, we're still you friends. We want to help you." As Tohma said this, Ryuichi felt tears begin to form, he could feel Noriko wrap an arm around his shoulder.  
  
"Listen... I know how you feel about being the only one not married." Seeing Ryuichi's reaction, she smiled. "You are really bad at hiding things. But, what I mean to say is, we don't look down on you because of it. It isn't everything Ryu. And trust me, no matter what we say, we don't think you're pathetic."  
  
"Guys..." Ryuichi choked out before he began crying.

* * *

To Be Continued...  
  
Next time, Taki has to come to terms with some things.  
  
Please Read and Review. Pretty Please.  
  
Something to say...  
  
This almost seems to be turning kind of AUish. I know I'm probably mixing up the timelines for things. I still plan on having certain events happen, but I only have a rough outline of this fic in my head.


	7. Why do I feel

* * *

Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
[]a character's thoughts.  
  
Flashback  
  
Whew. This chapter came out rather fast for me.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Ken looked at the staring match that was going on before him, feeling both exasperated and nervous. Ma-kun stared at Taki with a look that was somewhere between passive aggressive glare and mischievous smile. And Taki… Well if looks could kill, Ma-kun would be nothing more than a splatter on the floor.  
  
[Why? Why am I always in the middle of these things?]  
  
Ma-kun having the sense of humor he did always poked fun at Taki. Taki was an easy target, simple as that. Ken liked teasing the vocalist too, but unlike Ma-kun, he usually knew when to quit. The guitarist liked getting Taki worked up. He said it was a hobby much like picking up chicks. Not as gratifying, but close enough.  
  
Of course, there were times when this "art" failed and no one was happy. It only took one thing, and once again Ma-kun had found the one thing.  
  
_/"Tachi? Spill the details. Did you do it?" Ma-kun smirked.  
  
"What the fuck are you implying?" Taki sounded as if he had a bad case of PMS.  
  
"Oh, come on, its not every day you do the horizontal limbo with a bonafide rock star." Ma-kun elbowed him. Taki seemed to be at the breaking point.  
  
"It wasn't a date! And I sure as hell didn't sleep with him!" Taki was getting very red at that point and Ken wasn't entirely sure if Taki was flushed from rage, or possibly blushing.  
  
"Oh, you got shot down, didn't you?" Said Ma-kun.  
_  
Yep, that had been the button. But, this time it didn't seem Ma-kun had gotten the message. He had that look, like a cat about to pounce on a little mouse. Ken hated the tension and would've gladly stepped in, except he didn't want to die a gory death. Suddenly, he caught it, a flash in Ma-kun's eyes. Ken held his breath. [Here it comes.]  
  
Ma-kun stood up, stretching, a sure indication of his coming victory. "Fine. Be that way. Go around with your panties in a bunch." He came over to Taki and leaned in closer, so that he was staring him in the eye. A malicious smile crossed his lips. "You're just afraid. You're afraid, because if it's true, that makes you just like him...just like Shindou."  
  
Silence reigned in the room. Taki's eyes flared and Ken swore to himself. Taki stood up, and instead of the expected outburst, he stalked out of the room as fast as he could, slamming the door behind him. The impact rippled through the room, causing the keyboardist to flinch. The fact that Taki didn't say anything was actually scarier then the idea of him yelling. Who knew how fucked up things were going to be now?

"What the hell were you thinking?" Ken yelled, surprised Ma-kun was still alive after mentioning the name of Bad Luck's vocalist. In fact, Ken was seriously thinking of killing the blonde himself. Ma-kun looked at him out of the corner of his eye, in his typical, catty way.  
  
"Just trying to get him to face reality."  
  
"By comparing him to the person he hates the most in the world?" Ken felt as if he was the only sane person left in the room at that moment. Which was normal for him, but still.  
  
"It's about time he got over that bullshit and faced up to his issues." The guitarist snapped, sounding angry.  
  
"Ma-kun..." Ken looked at him, astonished. Ma-kun was usually so calm.  
  
"Besides, anger is the only thing that gets his butt into gear, even when it comes to romance. If I give him a push, the sooner he realizes this Ryuichi thing is for the better." Ma-kun said with a chuckle. Ken stared at him, sweat dropping at the guitarist's change back his regular vain, manipulative self.  
  
[That was your attempt at match making?]

* * *

Taki paced up and down the halls, trying to get his head on straight. [How could I let him get to me like that?] His breathing was hard and labored, as he tried to contain the rage.  
  
[Just like Shindou? That disgusting little punk!?] He felt sick to his stomach, dizzy and weak. He collapsed against a wall, closing his eyes. [No, no, no, no, no. I'm not messed up, I'm not like him... I don't like...] He sunk to the floor. His head was aching, the room was spinning, the start of a migraine. A warm hand on his back temporarily stopped the sensation..  
  
"Are you alright, Taki?" He turned around to see… Ryuichi, staring at him, concern in his eyes.  
  
"Shit." Taki's head hurt even more, causing his eyes to water, but he suddenly had the suicidal urge to laugh. He could feel the simple irony and the bitterness of the situation welling up within. "No, I'm not." He managed to spit out. Suddenly a flash of blackness passed before his eyes. "Damn, I think I'm gonna black out."

Ryuichi tensed up for a moment wondering what to do. Finally, he kneeled down and slide his arm around Taki's shoulders. "Let me help you up."

Taki wanted to shake him off, but he also wanted that warmth. The younger man settled for the warmth, letting Ryuichi lift him up, once again surprised at the man's strength. He could feel Ryuichi leading him somewhere, but he couldn't tell where he was going. It was as if he was once again caught in Ryuichi's pull and was helpless to fight against it.  
  
"It's been... a long time since I had a migraine." Taki muttered, feeling as if speaking was an effort, but for some reason, he wanted to. As if he owed to Ryuichi to explain.  
  
"Don't worry, I have place where you can lie down..." Ryuichi said, as he opened a door. He led Taki in, guiding him towards a couch and then helping him lie down on it. "I'll be back with some aspirin. Do you want the lights off?" Hearing Taki grunt in response, he flicked off the light switch. Taki closed his eyes, wishing he'd blackout for real. Anything to avoid this pain, though the pain was keeping him from thinking those thoughts anymore… Well, a little...  
  
He heard the sound of shuffling and someone bumping into things. "Hm, here." Said Ryuichi, grabbing his hand and pressing something into them. Taki swallowed, feeling a mediciny taste in his mouth as he grabbed for the glass of water that seemed to be waiting in Ryuichi's other hand.  
  
"Is there anything else you need?" Ryuichi asked timidly as he handed over the glass of water. Taki merely sighed, wishing the older man would stop talking.  
  
"No." He closed his eyes, hoping he could fall asleep. The darkness was soothing, comforting. Yet, he could still feel Ryuichi's presence. [I should be mad. It's all his fault. But, it's nice... that he's here.] He could feel his mind drifting, sleep coming.

* * *

Ryuichi sat there, listening to the sounds of Taki sleeping. He wished it wasn't dark in there. He would've liked to see what Taki's face looked like when he slept. Was it blissful, like a child's?  
  
Ryuichi brushed his fingers against Taki's hair gently, out of mere curiosity. Slowly he began to slide his fingers down to Taki's face. Ryuichi stopped as his fingers grazed the younger man's lips. He couldn't stop unbidden sensations and thoughts from coming to mind.  
  
[I wonder what he tastes like? Salty, sweet? Are his lips soft? Would it be alright if I kissed him?] Ryuichi knew he shouldn't be thinking that, but he suddenly found himself leaning over Taki, until their lips were almost touching. He could feel soft breath from those lips and suddenly, Taki shifted in his sleep, unconsciously bridging the distance.  
  
Ryuichi nearly gasped, then stifled it and leaned into the kiss, making it real. Of course, at that moment lady luck decided to throw him a curve ball. The lights flashed on.  
  
"Ryu! There you are! We were..." Noriko stopped, taking in the situation. "Eh, I... see you're busy..." She said, slowly leaving the room, then running down the halls at warp speed, giggling like a maniac. And then as if it could get any worse…  
  
"Eh, what were you doing?" Ryuichi turned around, in dread to see a very awake Taki.  
  
"Well, it's a really funny story..." Ryuichi said, trying to smile disarmingly, even though he knew he was probably dead.

* * *

To Be Continued...  
  
Now that the cat's out of the bag...  
  
Please read and review...I love reviews...I like knowing that people actually read the story and that they like it. Plus, I could always use advice and suggestions...  
  
As for the room Ryuichi took Taki to...I'm assuming Tohma would've given him his own private space. Probably well furnished and everything. Probably a bathroom, running water. 


	8. Out in the open, all or nothing

Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
Genres: Comedy/Romance/Minor Angst.  
  
[]a character's thoughts.  
  
Flashback  
  
This chapter is pretty long. But, I had a lot of fun doing it. The chapters seem to be easier for me now. I think a part of this is that I never thought I'd be doing so much with this fic. I figured I'd be burned alive for a.) Writing a Ryuichi pairing that didn't include: Tohma, Tatsuha or Shuichi, b.) Writing about Taki, or c.) Writing Taki as something other than a hateful idiot.  
  
I want all my reviewers to know how much their encouragement has meant to me. Thanks! I hope I continue to please or at least bring out some mild amusement.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Taki had found himself shaken out of a rather interesting dream. The dream involved kissing, him and Ryuichi. Steamy, sexy and not necessarily bad. Of course then he'd woken up to find that it was reality and not a dream. And Noriko Ukai had seen that reality.  
  
Ryuichi was sitting there, babbling like an idiot. Taki kept hearing the phrases, "I love you," "I really, really like you," "I'm so sorry," and "Don't hit me." Taki just sat there blinking, trying to get his brain to adequately function. [My life has become a shoujo manga.] He creased his brow, feeling the migraine that hadn't completely left.

Taki put out his hand in a motion to silence Ryuichi. The older man clamed up, expecting certain doom. "So, let me get this straight... You like me?" Ryuichi enthusiastically shook his head up and down. [So he _was_ coming onto me yesterday...] "Since when? I've never met you before."  
  
"Well you see... I saw a concert of yours one night. And I just... Have you ever felt drawn to something? That's what happened with me. After awhile, I kind of realized that I was in love. It took me a while to figure it out, but I know. I couldn't get you out of my head. I've wanted to meet you, to be with you." Ryuichi found that the words seemed to tumble out easily now that he was caught like a deer in the headlights.  
  
"You do realize that sounds crazy?" Taki said evenly, trying not to say out loud what he was thinking. [Crazy!? He sounds like a freaking psycho! Obsessed much?] But, suddenly what Ma-kun had said concerning a certain Shuichi Shindou came into his mind. [Maybe I shouldn't judge.]  
  
"I know...but it's not that crazy! It's called love at first sight! You believe in love at first sight, right Taki?" Ryuichi looked at Taki, sounding both hopeful and serious. Taki's eyes visibly widened, trying to decide how to answer that question.  
  
[Love at first sight? No, not really. At least I didn't until now...] He may have been a singer trying to sell himself to millions of ravenous teenage girls, but he had never really thought about drivel like love. Not seriously. But, the guy sitting in front of him seemed to really believe in it. Either way, Ryuichi had obviously been obsessing over this for a long time… [Wait a moment!] "Were you by any chance the one who kept calling my place, then hanging up?" He gave Ryuichi a dirty look, causing the man to wince.  
  
"I-I didn't mean to crank you. I just wanted to talk to you. But, I'd panic and hang up before I got up the nerve." Ryuichi looked down, holding Kumagoro as if the rabbit would protect him.  
  
Taki snickered, and then started laughing. Ryuichi looked at Taki defensively, upset that he wasn't being taken seriously. "I'll have you know it's not very funny. Just ask Kumagoro," he said holding up the rabbit, "he'll tell you what a wreak you've made me." Taki just laughed even harder, not able to take a stuffed rabbit seriously.  
  
"When I signed this contract, I figured I'd have to be more scared of the girls. Turns out that my first stalker's a guy. And not just any guy, but you!" He laughed a little more as Ryuichi stared at him, looking confused. "The really sad thing is that I'm not angry. Well, I am, but not for the reason I think I should be." As Taki calmed down, he looked at Ryuichi, smiling slightly.  
  
"So... You're not going to hit me?" Ryuichi didn't quite comprehend what Taki was saying.  
  
"Why would I hit you? Even if I wanted to, Tohma would can my ass. Not to mention, I'd anger who knows how many fan girls. But, yeah, I don't want to hit you." [I can't figure out why, but it's true. And considering all the angst you're putting me through, I should hit you. Instead I want to...] The room was silent for a few minutes. Finally, Ryuichi spoke up.

"So, uh..." Now that Ryuichi had said what he wanted to say, he didn't know what to do. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. The two exchanged glances, both of them having the same thought going through their heads. [What do I do now?]  
  
"Yesterday, was... a date, right?" Taki asked, trying to get up the nerve to say something, not that he was entirely sure of himself. 

"Well, not really. I mean...you don't have to think of it that way!" Ryuichi sputtered, not wanting Taki to change his mind about not hitting the older man.  
  
"Well, since it was, but it obviously went wrong, how about we go out on another one?" Taki could feel himself burning up, unable to believe what had just come out of his mouth. [Did I just say what I think I said!? Me and my big mouth.] Ryuichi was bug eyed, a strange tremor running through his body.  
  
"You, you really mean it? Really? For real?" Ryuichi was squirming in his chair excitedly, hugging the life out of Kumagoro, looking as if he'd explode.  
  
"Well, think of it as a trial run..." [Yeah, definitely. For all I know, Ma-kun has finally screwed with my head one too many times. Best to play it safe. If anything, it'll be a story when I'm older. A story of my stupidity.] Ryuichi was jumping up and down energetically. Suddenly he leaned in and hugged Taki.  
  
"Thank you!!! I'm so happy! Can we go Saturday!?" Ryuichi squeezed even tighter, and then looked to realize Taki was getting strangled. He immediately let go, feeling guilty. It wouldn't do to kill Taki now. "Oh God! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine... Saturday's good..." Taki felt himself burning up, and it was only partially from near suffocation. Ryuichi suddenly jumped out of the chair as if he had remembered something.  
  
"I'm going to tell Tohma! Remember, Saturday, at six in the evening!" He ran off before Taki could stop him.  
  
"Oh, man. What the hell am I thinking?" [Then again, maybe it's just his natural charm.] Taki suddenly shivered as he realized what he had just thought. [I should not be thinking that. Just go on the date, and realize I don't really like him. But, what if these feelings are real, whatever they are? What if I'm not deluded? What if Ma-kun was right?] Suddenly, the migraine was back.

* * *

Ma-kun walked down the hall being followed by Ken. He kept turning around to give his sunglass wearing friend a scowl. Ken had insisted that they go after Taki and when he was found, Ma-kun was supposed to, supposed to, apologize. He shuddered at the thought, his pride unable to allow such a thought. [Ken-chan's such a nag. What's wrong with helping your friend discover himself? Helping him find true happiness? So what if it involves cruel, merciless mind games? That's the only thing Tachi understands!]  
  
Suddenly, he smashed into something shorter than himself. A little something named Noriko Ukai. "Oof. Sorry Ms. Ukai." Ma-kun said, hoping he sounded as polite as possible. They had gotten on her bad side that one day, and were trying not to stay there.  
  
"Oh... It's nothing." She said, walking off, trying to hold back... a snicker? Ma- kun scratched his head, thoroughly confused by her lack of anger. [I definitely shouldn't be having that effect on a woman.] Ken turned around and looked at her, a thought springing into his.  
  
"Excuse me, but have you seen Taki?" He called out. Noriko stopped and turned around for a moment. Then she started laughing. "I take that as a yes." Said Ken looking at Ma-kun, the guitarist nodding in agreement.

* * *

Shuichi walked down the halls, whimpering to himself. Yuki had done something unspeakable. He had thrown out all of Shuichi's manga! He had said something about it cluttering up the place and smelling musty. His manga! Some of which he'd had since middle school! Some of which was priceless! The manga he had protected from his mother with his very life!  
  
Shuichi was so angry, that he kept screwing up all his lines during practice. This had thrown off Suguru, causing the boy to have a hissy fit. It was decided by K that Shuichi would have a break in which he would come to terms with his manga tragedy. If that failed, the manager would put him out of his misery. [How! How can he expect me to heal the gaping hole in my heart!?]  
  
As he was angsting, he came across Noriko and the members of... [What was the name again? Starts with an... ASK! Hmm, I don't see old droopy eyes around...]  
  
"So, I was right... Tachi, you sneaky bastard." Ma-kun said with a hint of admiration in his voice. Shuichi looked confused as he came up to the group...  
  
"What did octopus face do now?" Shuichi asked, using one of his nicknames for his rival. The three turned around, Ken and Ma-kun looking momentarily annoyed. "Eh, I mean, Aizawa." He said sheepishly.  
  
Noriko started giggling, barely containing herself. "He and Ryuichi..."  
  
"What about him and Ryuichi?" Shuichi was clueless as always.  
  
"Ryuichi Sakuma has a crush on Tachi. He's been stalking him. Their having some alone time right now." Said Ma-kun, grinning from ear to ear. Shuichi just stood there, as if the world was ending.  
  
[What? Ryuichi... Aizawa...] He shook his head in an attempt to properly put things in place. [Was that why he wanted... Why him? Why that jerk?] Shuichi stood there, getting angry. Noriko leaned in, trying to read Shuichi's expression.  
  
"Hey, Shuichi, you alright?" She waved a hand in front of his face, hoping to get a response. Shuichi just stood there steaming for a few minutes before he reacted.  
  
"This. Day. Absolutely. Sucks." He snarled and began stomping off. The three gazed at the rampaging Shuichi.  
  
"Is he always like that?" Ken asked as he exchanged a look with Noriko.  
  
"Just about." Sighed Noriko as she shrugged her shoulders.

* * *

Taki stood in his apartment looking around. It had been a long day. Telling Ken and Ma-kun about the date had been interesting to say the least. Ma-kun had cackled evilly and promised to give him dating advice. Ken just had that look that said "Oh, that's nice." That actually translated into "I'm slightly disturbed and can't talk to you right now."  
  
The vocalist sighed as he lay down on the sofa. [Today's Wednesday night, so... I have about three days until Saturday night... Three days.] He opened a can of beer and took a swallow.  
  
[Why me? This really is the plot of a shoujo manga...]

* * *

Ryuichi lay in his bed hugging Kumagoro tightly. He was snoring lightly, drooling over the stuffed rabbit.  
  
"Taki… Date... Taki... Date..." A big smile crossed his face as he rolled around. A giggle escaped his mouth. "Taki, not here…"

* * *

Shuichi tightly gripped the game controls in his hand. He had forgotten earlier about the anger he had been feeling and now was enjoying a racing game. The game was forgotten though as the door opened and a certain blonde entered.  
  
"Yuki!!" He cried, glomping the novelist who had returned from his sister's. Yuki threw Shuichi off, looking more annoyed then usual. Shuichi sat on the floor puzzled, until he saw why. Coming in behind Yuki was a really pissed Tatsuha.  
  
Yuki looked at Shuichi more agitated then usual. "The idiot has something to tell you. If you need me, I'll be in bed, so don't come bugging me with your childish problems." Yuki stalked off towards the bedroom, slamming the door.  
  
"What's he so mad about? He's the one who trashed my manga stash." Shuichi said as he looked at the bedroom door. "Hey, Tatsuha, did Mika say something to him?" He turned around to find himself face to face with a look of psychotic rage. Tatsuha grabbed him by the shirt and drug him forward.  
  
"How could you? How could you let some old guy get my Ryuichi!?" Tatsuha was in full 'Ryuichi is my god' mode.  
  
"What are you…? Oh, you heard about Aizawa?" Shuichi stared at Tatsuha, not sure how to weather this storm.  
  
"Tohma told me when I was over at Mika's. How could you help him snare some other guy when you know how much I want him?" Tatsuha fell to his knees and put a hand to his face. "I trusted you! Like a brother..."  
  
"Eh, Tatsuha..." Shuichi backed away. He never knew how to handle the younger boy. Actually he couldn't handle any Uesugi for that matter. It just seemed to be even harder with Tatsuha. He reached out cautiously and put a hand on Tatsuha's back. "There, there. Listen, I didn't know he liked Aizawa, okay? If I had known, well let's just say me and Aizawa don't get along."  
  
Tatsuha's head snapped up and an evil grin appeared on his face. "That's what I thought you'd say. That's why you're going to help me."  
  
Shuichi backed up, a look of horror on his face. "What? Help you?" Tatsuha had that gleam in his eyes, the one he got right before he did something monumentally stupid. The younger man wrapped an arm around Shuichi.  
  
"Yes. We must protect Ryuichi from that bastard! That's why, this Saturday, we're going to follow them!" You could see the flames form around Tatsuha.  
  
"What!?" Shuichi shrieked as he backed away from the mad teen. Meanwhile, one might have noticed that the bedroom door was opened a crack. Yuki looked from the other side.  
  
"That idiot." Anyone who was listening would've been hard pressed to say who he was talking about.

* * *

To Be Continued...  
  
Just what does Tatsuha have planned, eh?  
  
Please Read and Review. It really helps.  
  
Yes, I definitely had to bring Tats in. Before you get any ideas, this will not be Tatsuha/Ryuichi. The point of this fic is a Ryu/Taki pairing. I brought Tatsuha in, because well you kind of have to in a story like this. Don't worry; I'll try to think of something nice for him. 


	9. Anxiety You bet!

Rating: PG-13.  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
Genres: Humor/Romance/slight Angst.  
  
[] a character's thoughts.  
flashback  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters. If I did we'd have a lot more Taki. He, he, yes I'm that crazy.  
  
This chapter is a prelude to disaster…Expect the actual juicy stuff next chapter.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 9

Taki had never been more nervous about a Saturday night in his entire life. He had been forced to spend the whole week anticipating, worrying, thinking about a measly little date. And Taki Aizawa was the last person who should be left to stew in his own juices.

What did he do on a date? With a guy? With Ryuichi? Any actual dates he had before this had been arranged for the sole purpose of screwing. This date was meant to figure out if he actually liked the guy or not.  
  
He sure as hell hadn't been allowed to forget about the date either. Ken and Ma-kun wouldn't hear of it. They were always talking about it behind his back. He'd enter the room and they would suddenly change whatever subject they'd been on. And they'd giggle like schoolgirls. He'd finally given up on killing them as they both ran too fast.  
  
Worse was the fact that Tohma was his producer. He had taken Taki aside and given him the scariest talk of his whole life. The basic message had been, "He comes home crying and you're dead." It was amazing that Tohma had the time to play keyboard for Nittle Grasper, be Chief Producer for ASK and to threaten Taki with bodily harm.

Taki was also getting some strange vibe from Shindou. A glare/frown/pout would cross the pop star's face. It pissed him off. What right did the little shit have to judge him?  
  
But, there was one thing keeping him from brooding on Shindou. Ryuichi Sakuma. The guy seemed to find Taki at least three times a day. He kept acting like he was Taki's girlfriend, hanging onto him, getting him lunch. The older man seemed to assume they were automatically a couple and should act the part.  
  
Taki may have been trying to be indifferent to it, but he liked it. He liked the attention he was getting, he liked the fact that it was from Ryuichi, he even liked that everyone knew about. It actually inflated his ego a little. It made up for all his fears and anxieties and that Saturday morning he actually was feeling excited about the date. Hell, it even crossed his mind that maybe, just maybe the chance he was taking was worth it.

* * *

Shuichi looked at Tatsuha, still not sure why he was doing this. They were both dressed in casual slacks and t-shirts, and had sunglasses and hats on, typical spy gear. "Why am I helping you with this?" [I could be spending time with Yuki. Spending time with him. Not breaking in on Ryuichi's date with droopy eyes!] The very thought of those two together made Shuichi's stomach turn.  
  
"You're the only ally I have in this crazy world. And you're the only one who understands the pain of unrequited love!" Tatsuha declared dramatically as he cleaned his binoculars.  
  
Shuichi sweat dropped, embarrassed for the both of them. [What unrequited love? I have a boyfriend! Who I'd be spending time with right now if it weren't for you! Not that he cares.] "Tatsuha, did it ever occur to you that maybe, I don't know, there's nothing you can do about it? I mean, if Ryuichi likes Aizawa and Aizawa likes him back… There's not a whole lot you can do about it, is there?"  
  
A gleam appeared in Tatsuha's eyes and an evil smile crossed the teen's face. "That's why should I fail, I have a consolation prize lined up for tonight..." He looked at Shuichi, slobbering slightly. Shuichi returned his stare, not comprehending what the younger man meant. Tatsuha leaned in closer until he was practically breathing on the older boy. "After all you do owe me Shuichi for… That time…"  
  
"What time?" Shuichi was suspicious, backing away from Tatsuha. He knew that look in Tatsuha's eyes. That 'I'm-going-get-me-a-little-Shuichi-tonight' look.  
  
"Remember a month ago when I was over? You broke my brother's computer. I took the rap for you. Yuki nearly killed me." Tatsuha had a mock dramatic look on his face. "You promised me you'd do anything in return for me."  
  
"Yeah… Alright, that explains my obligation to help you spy. But, why the other thing…" Shuichi gulped.  
  
"Oh, my sweet, little, dense Shuichi." Tatsuha looked at the pink-haired boy in pity. "You have it in reverse. You're helping me spy because you helped that Aizawa bastard get his clutches into Ryuichi."  
  
[Actually I thought it was Ryuichi getting his clutches into Aizawa…] Shuichi held his hand up to stop the younger man from saying anything else. "Alright, I get it. So I just have to help you with whatever you have planned tonight, hope it succeeds and you drop the computer scandal. And if it fails… I, um do another favor for you and you still drop the scandal?" Tatsuha nodded happily.  
  
[The things I do for Yuki's love…]

* * *

Tohma sat in his living room, reading the paper in peace. It wasn't often he left the office this early, but it happened. Sometimes Tohma needed some time just for Tohma. The night was almost perfect. He was cozy sitting in his favorite chair, shoes off, a night alone with Mika… And Yuki… A very angry Yuki. The novelist had stormed into his house and was now sitting across from him, fuming. Tohma looked up from his paper and cocked an eyebrow. He loved his brother-in-law to pieces. Some would call it an unnatural love. But, even that love had its limits. Limits that including messing with Tohma Seguchi's groove.  
  
"Eiri, if you're that worried, you could've stopped them." Tohma looked at him seriously. Yuki returned his stare, looking very annoyed.  
  
"Chh, I just don't want that idiot Tatsuha to get arrested." He was quickly filling up the ash tray that had been set out for him. "Shuichi can't handle him but he can minimize the damage."  
  
"Uh, huh." Tohma was giving Yuki a pointed look, not believing a word he said.

* * *

Ryuichi bounced up and down in his apartment, holding hands with Kumagoro.  
  
"Kumagoro! It's almost time! Time for my date! I'm so happy!" Kumagoro nodded in agreement, though that could have been from all the bouncing. Ryuichi stopped and looked in a mirror. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled at himself.  
  
"Everything checks out! Teeth are clean. Hair is washed and brushed. Clothes are clean. Deodorant is on." He sat Kumagoro on the table.  
  
"Okay… You remember the numbers for the hospital and the fire department?" He was rushing around, trying to find his keys. Finding them in with the bananas he walked over to the door. "I'll see you later Kumagoro, don't wait up." He waved as he left.

* * *

Taki had been waiting, for a while now and was seriously getting pissed. "Why is he the one picking me up? God, I feel like I'm his chick." [Kind of an odd reversal from earlier this week.] Taki sighed to himself and decided to get back to the more important train of thought. [He's late. What if he stood me up? He better not, or else I'll have to teach him what happens when you mess with Taki Aizawa.]  
  
At that moment, there came a rapid knocking noise on the door. "I'm coming." Taki shouted, hoping it was Ryuichi. The knocking continued, sounding like a woodpecker. He walked to the door in a hurry, muttering to himself. "Who the hell knocks like that?" As he opened the door, he felt a fist strike his chest, causing a small, sharp pain. Ryuichi stood there, in surprise, his fist raised slightly.  
  
"Taki! I'm sorry!" He cried, bowing furiously. Taki rubbed the spot, sorely. [Man, he's strong. What is he eating?]  
  
"It's… nothing. Where were you? You're an hour late." He scowled at Ryuichi, causing the older man to flinch. Ryuichi got a sheepish look on his face…  
  
"Well, I got pulled over for speeding. Apparently I was going 60 in a 30 mile zone." Ryuichi rubbed the back of his head, blushing. "The cop was really mad. He didn't even care that I was Ryuichi." Ryuichi smiled. "But, he decided to give me a warning instead. So here I am." He grabbed Taki's arm and began to pull him out the door.  
  
"Where are we going?" Taki said as he allowed himself the humiliation of being dragged out of his house like a sack of potatoes. Ryuichi stopped for a moment as if thinking. "Don't tell me you don't have any plans…" Aizawa closed his eyes and groaned.  
  
"NO!" Ryuichi shouted, the volume of his voice up a couple decibels. "I-I know what I'm doing! Don't worry I have the perfect plan! This will be the most wonderful evening ever!" It was obvious to Taki that Ryuichi was lying, but he was just a little too embarrassed by the last line to even care.

* * *

It was near eight before Ryuichi stopped by a park. "Come on! Let's go!" Ryuichi shouted excitedly, tugging on Taki's arm, as if the younger man couldn't get out of the car fast enough.  
  
"What are we going to do at a park?" Taki looked around wondering if Ryuichi was thinking something perverted.  
  
"Oh, I thought a romantic stroll would be nice!" It was obvious that Ryuichi was covering and had probably just came up with this idea out of the blue, but Taki decided to let it slide. He felt Ryuichi grab his hand and pull him along. It felt strange being taken by the hand and the younger man couldn't say that he minded.  
  
[This isn't so bad. Not what I expected but not bad.] It was quiet out, the moon only half way full. The night was warm, a pleasant breeze blowing. Other couples were out walking, occasionally giving the two an odd look. Taki found that it wasn't bothering him as much as he had thought it would.  
  
He looked at Ryuichi who was being unusually quiet. He looked small and so cute. Taki squeezed his hand a little tighter. Ryuichi looked up at him a moment then continued walking.  
  
[I wish it could stay like this…] It was a thought that kept entering Ryuichi's mind. He liked this moment which wasn't painfully awkward. It was romantic and normal and pleasant. Sure he had planned on dinner and a movie but he'd lost his reservations by the time the speeding fiasco was over. But, it was turning out for the best. And this was considering that Ryuichi rarely did normal.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tatsuha and Shuichi were lurking behind the bushes. Shuichi desperately wanted to stretch. He was sore from walking in a crouch and hated sitting still like this. "Tatsuha, it's been an hour. What's your plan and can we get it over with?" Shuichi had a short attention span by nature and it was already waning.  
  
Tatsuha's eyes narrowed as if he had just seen something important. "Alright, let's go." He said as he grabbed Shuichi.  
  
"Hey, what are we going to do?" Shuichi really wanted to know what this great plan was that Tatsuha kept hinting at. He felt Tatsuha wrap an arm around him and lean down to ear level.  
  
"Simple. We're going to bump into them. I'm going to seduce Ryuichi away from that guy and you're going to back me up."  
  
"What!?"

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Twos company, threes a crowd and fours just unwanted…  
  
Sorry if it's a bit of cliffhanger.  
  
I think I'm being cruel to Shuichi though…eek being Tatsuha's consolation prize. Not that I wouldn't mind. Tatsuha's too hot for his own good… 


	10. Tatsuha and Chaos

Rating: PG-13. Just to be safe.  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki.  
  
Genres: Humor/Romance/slight Angst.  
  
Summary: Just as things are heating up a little, Tatsuha and Shuichi interrupt things. But, soon, it turns out that Tatsuha's own plans are going to backfire on him.  
  
[] a character's thoughts.

flashback

Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Ryuichi suddenly pulled Taki aside, a playful look in his eyes. "Taki, you don't need to be so shy. Ryuichi won't bite." Ryuichi said this in a sultry tone, hoping Taki would give him what he wanted. And what he really wanted right now was for Taki to kiss him, but he didn't want to be blunt about it. Maybe if he took the initiative again…  
  
Ryuichi wrapped his arms around Taki's neck, smiling seductively. Taki gulped, trying to quell his emotions. "Is there something you need from me?" Ryuichi twined his fingers into Taki's hair, pulling him down closer.  
  
"You know, I wouldn't mind if you were a little bolder. Like when you asked me out." They were now dangerously close and Taki could feel his hormones going full swing. He placed a hand on Ryuichi's face, tilting it upwards.  
  
"Is that a challenge?" Taki said as he bent down to kiss Ryuichi. That's what should've happened. Except this really loud noise came bursting out of nowhere, causing the both of them to jump twenty feet in the air.

"Ryuichi!" Shouted Tatsuha, standing behind them, right next to a rather sulky Shuichi.  
  
"Uh, what an unexpected surprise…" Shuichi said, sounding lame.  
  
"Tatsuha! Shuichi!" Ryuichi sounded both surprised and delighted by the "unexpected" encounter.  
  
"What the hell?" Taki was trying to overcome his heart attack without much success. He recognized Shuichi Shindou, but who was this guy?  
  
Ryuichi decided to start the introductions, obviously psyched. "Oh, yeah. Taki, you know Shuichi, right? Shuichi you know Taki, right?" The two looked at each other with a slight scowl.  
  
"Uh, huh. Sure." They both said in unison, averting their eyes in disgust.  
  
"And this is Tatsuha Uesugi." Ryuichi said as he clasped the other boy on the shoulder. "He's Tohma's brother-in-law. He's only sixteen, but he's really fun."  
  
"Hi. I'm also the brother of Eiri Yuki, who our wonderful Shuichi is dating." As Tatsuha said this, Taki caught a flash in his eye. A rather nasty flash. The kind Taki often had.  
[What's his problem?]  
  
Tatsuha wrapped his arm around Ryuichi in an all too friendly manner. "Who knew we'd bump into you two when we were grocery shopping?"  
  
Taki felt the urge to cause bloody mutilation. [What the hell are you doing? Get your filthy hands off of him!]  
  
"Say, do you two want to go with us?" Tatsuha was smiling, obviously up to no good. Taki was about to follow his gut instinct and reject the offer when Ryuichi cut him off.  
  
"Sure, I'd love to!!" Ryuichi was bouncing up and down.  
  
"Then it's settled!" Tatsuha replied, still being way too friendly.  
  
Taki and Shuichi both groaned inwardly.

* * *

Later on, Shuichi and Ryuichi were walking down the snack aisle. They'd split up from Tatsuha and Taki, who they'd sent to find yogurt. The two had seemed rather reluctant to go. Aizawa and Tatsuha were shooting death glares at each other. Not to mention the death glare Tatsuha had shot Shuichi.  
  
The truth was, Shuichi's conscience had begun to brutalize him. He was still worried about Tatsuha, and he still didn't like Aizawa, but he just couldn't get one thought out of his head. [What if it was me and Yuki? What if someone was trying to break us up? Before we even had a chance?]  
  
"Ryuichi are you sure-"  
  
"Look, Shuichi! They have cheese puffs for half off!" Shuichi looked at the bags of cheesy goodness.  
  
"Really! I have to get them! Yuki never lets me buy any!" Suddenly Shuichi stopped mid rave.  
  
"That's nice Ryuichi but-"  
  
"Oh, and they have a buy one, get one free special-"  
  
"Stop it, Ryuichi!" Shuichi shouted, causing the other customers to turn and look at them. Shuichi waved his hands frantically, trying to keep it from turning into a scene. "Sorry folks. Just a little fight over which pretzels to get. Carry on." He drug Ryuichi over to the pretzels to make it look like he was speaking the truth.  
  
"Shuichi, is something wrong? Did I make you angry?" Ryuichi was whimpering, obviously confused. Shuichi searched for the right words, scared that he'd done irreparable damage to Ryuichi's psyche.  
  
"No, no. That's not it. It's just, why are you interrupting your date to go grocery shopping? Don't you want to spend time with Aizawa?" [As distasteful as that last thought is.] Shuichi hoped Ryuichi wouldn't evade the answer.  
  
"Of course I do! But, hanging out with you and Tatsuha seemed like so much fun. Is that wrong?" Ryuichi felt the tears coming down. What if Taki was mad at him? Did Ryuichi mess up again?  
  
Shuichi stared at him blankly, unable to believe what was happening. "No, it's not wrong. It's just that the idea behind a date is to spend time with that person. Alone time." [And what I wouldn't give for Yuki to take me out on more dates.]  
  
"But, you can do that at home." Ryuichi was so confused. Even though he had a lot of fans, he'd never dated too much. He didn't know there were rules. No one had ever told him  
  
Shuichi looked at his idol, hoping to explain it better. "Well, you can be alone in public. But, you can also date at home. How do I put this?" It wasn't like Shuichi was an expert. Before Yuki, he'd only ever had a couple of relationships, both disasters. "A date's what a couple does when they want to spend some special time together."  
  
"Hmm." Ryuichi thought for a second. "I still don't get it." Shuichi fell over. "But," said Ryuichi, "I think I see where you're coming from." [So since you asked me, that means you really do like me Taki. But, why are you so clumsy about everything? Not that I'm one to talk. What can I do to make you like me even more?]

* * *

"What are you smirking at?" Growled Taki as he looked at Tatsuha, who was smiling with those evil eyes.  
  
"Nothing the impious could understand." Said Tatsuha, a patronizing tone in his voice. Taki growled and turned back to the shopping. He still refused to believe this boy was a monk. He was also more than a little pissed that his perfect moment had been ruined. He didn't know when there was going to another moment that good, or if he was ever going to have the guts to act on his feelings again. What if there never was another chance? [I oughta kill this punk.]  
  
Tatsuha smirked once more before returning to the task at hand. He had to shop for groceries, otherwise his cover was blown. The plan had been for him to go with Ryuichi and Shuichi with Taki, but for some reason Shuichi had decided to ruin the plan. Tatsuha now had to figure out another way to make it work. And it had to be fast.  
  
His darling Ryuichi had almost kissed this guy! [What if they've kissed? What if they've… NO! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!] Tatsuha shook his head earning a strange look from Taki.  
  
"Hey. I'm really sorry that I ruined your date." Tatsuha was so insincere that it made one flinch and it was all done with a smile. "What were you planning on doing with my Ryuichi afterwards?" There almost seemed to be a threat in the boy's words.  
  
"That's none of your business. And what do you mean by "your Ryuichi?" This boy's attitude was ticking him off even more. It was bad enough that he'd touched Ryuichi, but did this kid have to be so smug about it?  
  
"What do I mean by mine? Wouldn't you like to know?" Tatsuha smiled inside. [I don't even have to try, fool. You don't even know what to do with him.]  
  
Taki glared at Tatsuha, trying to decide if it was okay to punch the boy. But, if he did that, he'd be charged with assault. Taki stormed off down the aisles.  
  
"Too easy." Grinned Tatsuha as he followed after the other man.

* * *

When the four stepped out of the store, there seemed to be a change in atmosphere. The four felt tense. Ryuichi had been upset about something. Whenever Tatsuha tried to glomp him, Ryuichi would dodge out of the way and give Tatsuha a mortified look.  
  
Tatsuha could sense that Shuichi had said something. As soon as they got back to Yuki's he was going to tear it out of the kid. Vengeance was a bus ride away.  
  
Ryuichi glanced at Tatsuha nervously as he remembered what else Shuichi had told him tonight.  
  
_"Uh, Ryuichi I have a confession to make. We really weren't shopping for groceries and we didn't meet you two by accident." Shuichi had that guilty look on his face. "The truth is, Tatsuha wanted to ruin your date."  
  
Ryuichi stood there dumbfounded, unable to comprehend such deception from someone he considered a friend. "But, why would he want to do that? And why would you want to help him?" _

"I didn't want to help him. He made me." Shuichi's voice was weak and he was avoiding looking Ryuichi in the eye.  
  
"But, Tatsuha…" Ryuichi still couldn't comprehend it. Why would Tatsuha do this?  
  
"Tatsuha's jealous. He likes you a lot. At least he thinks he does."  
  
Why? Ryuichi had always thought of Tatsuha as a rare friend, someone he could hang out with, someone who didn't see him as a child or a star to fawn over. Tatsuha liked him? He had always thought Tatsuha was just overly friendly, like Shuichi. When the two got on the bus, Ryuichi found he couldn't even say good bye.  
  
[Good riddance.] Thought Taki as the bus went off. He looked at Ryuichi relieved that he wouldn't be spending the night keeping monk boy off of Ryuichi. "So do you want to uh, pick up where we left off?" He felt weird saying it, but it felt right.  
  
Ryuichi turned away from him, quietly. "No. I want to go home." He said as he began to walk off towards his car. Taki hurried after Ryuichi, a little unnerved by the strange change in demeanor.  
  
"Something wrong?" Taki asked as he got in the car. Ryuichi said nothing as he turned the ignition. Taki worried even more. This wasn't like Ryuichi. [What happened? I don't like this side of him.]

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Ryuichi and Taki's relationship takes a rather sudden step forward. Tatsuha and Shuichi fight and then…Sorry, you'll have to wait.  
  
Evil cliffhanger, I know. I'm still wondering who I should pair Tatsuha with? I've got to give him something nice. He can be a little creepy at times, but deep down he's such a sweetie. Should I make it Tatsuha/Shuichi? Yuki/Shuichi fans might kill me, but I can always give Yuki to Tohma. Relax, I'm not sure if I'll be that evil. Not yet anyways.  
  
Please Read and Review. Tatsuha's fate could depend on your answer.


	11. The next level

Rating: This chapter is kinda R. There is sex. Not in detail people, geez. I'm not brave enough yet. Geez, I was blushing writing what I did. No Lemon. More like Lime. At least I hope that's right. Also, expect some slight swearing and the usual. This will probably go back to being PG-13 after this chapter.  
  
Pairings: Ryu/Taki. Slight Tatsuha/Shuichi and Yuki/Shuichi  
  
Genres: Humor/Romance/slight Angst.  
  
Summary: Promised Juiciness. Plus, Shuichi and Tatsuha have a situation ahead of them.  
  
[] a character's thoughts.  
flashback  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters. If I did, we would have a lot more Taki.

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Taki had taken up an important rule when dating. Never let your date drive angry, drunk or with a cell phone in hand. Even if it was their car, even if they'd dump you for taking the car keys away or refuse to sleep with you that night. Unfortunately, he was bad at taking his own advice  
  
Ryuichi was driving like a maniac, no doubt on his way to getting an actual ticket this time around. Ryuichi was a hunched, little gremlin of road rage. A deaf gremlin at that. "Slow the fuck down!!" Taki yelled as Ryuichi nearly rear ended a rather nice SUV containing an equally nice looking family. Ryuichi deftly passed without signaling, causing the sounds of screeching breaks, honking horns and vulgarities to fill the air.  
  
When the car actually stopped, it took Taki a few minutes to open his eyes, as he refused to believe that he had been saved. When he did, he found that Ryuichi had taken them to a rather fancy neighborhood and they were parked in front of an expensive looking house. [Must be his.]  
  
Ryuichi slammed the car door and walked up to the house, where he began to savage that door in an attempt to get the keys to fit. As Taki followed behind the pop star, he could hear words of frustration.  
  
"Gum drop-brained, banana squishing…" [Those are swearwords?] If Ryuichi wasn't so pissed off, Taki would have laughed. Finally, Ryuichi opened the door and went. Taki followed and was forced to stop in awe.  
  
"My apartment could fit in here! So this is what happens when you go platinum…" Ryuichi seemed to finally notice him at that moment.  
  
"Well, I also have two in America." Ryuichi looked awkwardly at the ground, scratching his head. He had been so agitated that he had completely forgotten himself.  
  
"Hey, is everything alright?" Taki looked at Ryuichi nervously. [Why did I ask that? Now he's going to spend the whole night gushing his guts out to me.]  
  
"Sure it is, why wouldn't it be?" Ryuichi looked around, then spotted Kumagoro. "Kumagoro! You were a good boy, right?" He hugged the rabbit tightly causing Taki to sweat drop. [He has a stuffed rabbit?] "Kumagoro, say hi to Taki." Ryuichi made the rabbit wave.  
  
"Hi…" Taki looked the tattered thing closely, as if it was covered with disease. [Hey, at least he isn't crying like some chick.] Ryuichi put Kumagoro back down on the table and returned to his state of misery. [Ugh, maybe this will work.]  
  
Taki took Ryuichi in his arms and held him closely. Ryuichi completely broke down, and buried his face in Taki's chest. "Hey, don't cry. I'm right here." It was a line he had used on many girls, but he actual felt a little sincere this time.  
  
"I'm so stupid." Whispered Ryuichi. "Why couldn't I see it? I didn't think he felt that way. And even if he did, shouldn't you want someone you love to be happy? Shouldn't you want them to be happy even if it's not with you?"  
  
[Eh, what's he talking about? It couldn't have something to do with those two punks, could it?] He tightened his grip, feeling strangely possessive. Ryuichi suddenly pulled away, as if afraid of him. "What?" Asked Taki, surprised. [I go out on a limb and you…]  
  
"And how do I know that you have feelings for me? How do I know you really like me?" Ryuichi was frustrated and scared looking, tears still streaming down his face.  
  
"Eh? If I didn't like you, what makes you think I'd go on a date with you?" Taki felt his face getting red and was trying to keep from screaming. [What makes you think I'd tolerate you if I hated you? You're so annoying it almost has to be that… That love thing.]  
  
"Yeah, but maybe you're doing it because I'm famous. Or just because you're nice." Ryuichi stammered. It hurt to express his fears like this, especially considering that he was known for being articulate.  
  
Taki merely raised an eyebrow, unable to believe what was being said. "For being my stalker, you sure as hell don't know anything about me. Number one, I wouldn't give a fuck if you were God." He was standing close to Ryuichi again, eyes boring down into his. "And two, I'm not that nice." He said as he kissed Ryuichi.  
  
Ryuichi's eyes opened in surprise for a moment, until he settled into the kiss. He opened his mouth, allowing Taki to plunder it completely. After a moment, though Ryuichi broke the kiss and drew away from Taki yet again.  
  
"There one thing you're wrong about Taki. You lied when you said you weren't nice." He said teasingly, as he wrapped an arm around Taki's waist.

* * *

The moment Shuichi and Tatsuha entered Yuki's still empty apartment, Tatsuha grabbed Shuichi by his shoulders and slammed him against the wall. "Alright, what did you do?" Tatsuha's teeth were clenched and his eyes flaming, making him look like an ancient demon come to life.  
  
"I'm sorry! I couldn't lie to him like that! He's my friend!" Tatsuha was almost scarier than Yuki. Almost.  
  
"What about me? You know how much I love Ryuichi! I should be the one to get him! Not that other guy!"  
  
"You can't decide that! It's Ryuichi's choice! You don't decide who deserves him!" It kept going through Shuichi's head. [If I was Ryuichi, how would I feel? If I was Aizawa how would I feel? To not even be given the chance to try for that special person…]  
  
"Yeah, but if he knew-"  
  
"I told him!" Silence reigned, echoing in the house. Tatsuha dropped Shuichi, eyes filled with horror. Shuichi tried to draw on some courage to say what he had to say next. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been the one to tell him."  
  
"He knew how I felt and he still went with…" Tatsuha's voice filled with disbelief. For a boy used to getting what he wanted, it was serious blow. "Why? That's not the way it's supposed to be. Why him? Why not me?"  
  
"I guess you'd have to ask Ryuichi. But, Ryuichi might not understand the question. When it comes to loving someone, you know and you don't know, you know?" Shuichi said, trying to be helpful.  
  
"That made no sense." Said Tatsuha. "But, I'll forgive you." Shuichi sighed in relief, afraid that Tatsuha had wanted to kill him. But, relief quickly faded when Shuichi found Tatsuha's hand wandering up his shirt. "Tatsuha?"  
  
The teen smirked, obviously over his tragedy for the moment. "I think it's time for you to make good on our little deal." The younger boy said slyly as he slid his other hand onto Shuichi's cheek.  
  
"Eep!" [Damn! That's right, I made a deal with the devil.]

* * *

It had taken all of Taki's mental and physical restraint to not throw Ryuichi on the floor and take him right there. Between groping and making out, they had stumbled their way to the bedroom and managed to fall on the bed and not on the floor. Taki lay on top of Ryuichi, not too heavy for the smaller man, but still trying not to suffocate him.  
  
Taki continued kissing Ryuichi as he proceeded to remove the singer's shirt. Ryuichi grounded against him, causing both of them to moan. Hands brushed bare skin, at times unable to conceal their awkwardness.  
  
Both had a fair amount of experience sexually, but otherwise tonight was going to be a new one for them. For both of them, the emotional stakes were too high, so high that in a different situation, they would've known better than to be doing this so soon.  
  
It was too soon for Taki to say he loved Ryuichi, even if that was what he probably felt. It was too much, too fast. This way was easier for him, not as frightening. He could be close to Ryuichi without feeling he had left himself open. Hopefully Ryuichi would appreciate the gesture and not misinterpret it as mere lust or as sudden commitment.  
  
Ryuichi was sliding his fingers in the waistband of Taki's pants, but going no farther. It was enough to tease Taki like this for the moment without going any farther. He could feel warm skin pressing against his stomach and hot breath ghosting along his neck. Sliding his other hand across Taki's thigh, Ryuichi moaned, feeling more painfully aroused then before.  
  
"Are you ready to stop playing?" Taki asked, short of breath.  
  
"I could ask you the same question." Ryuichi said as if there was some deeper meaning imbedded in the words.  
  
"I'll show you playing around." Taki said before renewing his attack on Ryuichi.

* * *

As Tatsuha deepened his kiss, there were a number of sad thoughts that occurred to Shuichi. He was being taken advantage of by a kid younger then himself. And there was also the fact that Tatsuha did kiss like Yuki. Maybe a little kinder and with more hunger, but that was only by a slight margin.  
  
Shuichi whimpered, knowing full well that he should call it off, but he was in a pickle. He was responsible for what had happened. He shouldn't have interfered with either Ryuichi or Tatsuha. It was a painful situation which he shouldn't have been apart of in the first place. [Even if this is cheating… Why do you have to look and sound so much like Yuki? It makes it too hard to say no.]  
  
At that moment Tatsuha's fingers danced across the small of his back, eliciting a cry. "That must be a sweet spot of yours." Tatsuha whispered as he leaned his head against Shuichi's shoulder, surprised that the boy didn't smell as he'd thought. He'd always imagined strawberries, but Shuichi smelled more like sweet cherries, not fully ripened.  
  
"I wonder if you have some other spots like that."

"Try his belly button." Said a new voice.  
  
"Sounds like a good idea-" Tatsuha turned around as he recognized the voice. "Aniki, what a pleasant surprise." He twitched nervously, not able to hide his fear. This was different then the last time Yuki had caught him like this.  
  
"Yuki!!" Shuichi jumped out of Tatsuha's arms and glomped him, more out of relief then affection.  
  
"Baka. I can't leave you two alone for a second." Yuki said as he dropped Shuichi and walked towards the kitchen. Shuichi followed after Yuki, stopping to give Tatsuha a look that might have been sympathetic.  
  
Tatsuha collapsed in relief. [Yuki didn't realize that Shuichi wasn't fighting me.] Yet, though relieved, he was actually a little disappointed this time around. [What's wrong with me? Why can't I get anything? Is this karma?]

* * *

Taki's head lulled against the pillows as he relieved what had just happened, his body remembering every touch and caress. Ryuichi was snuggled up against him, smiling blissfully in his sleep.  
  
[That was interesting.] He didn't know how to describe it any better. He'd certainly had better. Not that it had been bad. Far from it. It was the way he was left feeling that was confusing him. He felt anxious and frightened, trapped in a void.  
  
[I don't know him at all. Until recently, I only knew him as a big rock star. I admired him.] As in the minds of others, Taki saw Ryuichi as something unreachable. Taki had never had the conceit of thinking he could be as good as Ryuichi, let alone surpass him. The business was hard enough as it was without trying to surpass a living god.  
  
But, he respected Ryuichi Sakuma. Sakuma was one of the many reasons that Taki had wanted to be a musician. So when they met so suddenly, in person…  
  
[Cute. Childish. Annoying as hell. Overwhelming.] It was like fighting against the tides. Taki had fought hard against it. And was forced to surrender at every turn.  
  
[Surrendering isn't so bad though. But, I can't base my whole future or his on something fleeting.] He was dating two people. Ryuichi and Ryuichi Sakuma, the super star. A legend in his own right.  
  
[How do I measure up to him in the grand scheme of things? Shit, I should have thought about this before we slept together.]

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
The Morning After, Taki finds out some fun things about Ryuichi. And Tatsuha examines his feelings for Ryuichi and looks at his possible feelings for Shuichi.  
  
Please Read and Review.  
  
Any Tatsuha/Shuichi in this story is going to be a side story. I'll probably write a story for that couple in the future. I have this story and two others to work on though. Sorry for being a tease. Also, Sorry for anyone who was expecting actual smut or good smut. Like I said, I'm not experienced at writing this type of thing and so I'm not confident. It's probably clichéd and a million other things… Still, I think what I did write turned out okay.


	12. and the morning after

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi  
  
Summary: The morning after. Taki and Ryuichi get to know one another a little better and Tatsuha and Shuichi have some issues.  
  
Note: Yes, there will be Tatsuha/Shuichi. But, there will still be Yuki/Shuichi as well. It's a very evil love triangle.  
  
[] a character's thoughts.  
  
flashback  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Ryuichi stretched, purring like a cat. He turned his head towards Taki and grinned. "What a wonderful morning!" His daily mantra was always rather life affirming, but today it seemed more meaningful. Taki groaned next to him, turning away. "Taki, time to get up!" Ryuichi bounced up and down on the bed, causing some creaking. The other man looked at him, glaring, then turned away again, this time covering his face with a pillow.  
  
"Leave me alone." Ryuichi stopped his bouncing and looked at Taki in concern. He began to poke the younger man, using a gentle yet annoying jabbing motion.  
  
"Taki, it's a beautiful morning. Get up." Ryuichi whined.  
  
"I don't want to." Taki grumbled as he pulled away from the offending finger. Ryuichi became annoyed. He leaned in closer and began to whisper in Taki's ear.  
  
"Taki. Taki. Taki." It quickly became obvious that Taki was asleep though. Ryuichi inhaled slightly and yelled out, "Taki!!" Taki's eyes flew wide open as he sat up quickly, looking around to see who was attacking him.  
  
Realizing it was Ryuichi, he stared at him in wonderment. "What the fuck are you thinking?" He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, trying to break out.  
  
Ryuichi smiled brightly at him. "Come on silly. It's breakfast time!"  
  
"Why? I want to sleep." Taki said as his eyelids began to close of their own accord.  
  
"Because, when you sleep together for the first time, you're supposed to have breakfast together." Ryuichi said this as if it was a sort of rule.  
  
Taki sputtered as he collapsed onto the bed. "Where did you come up with that?"  
  
"The movies, anime, tv Shows, manga and books." Said, once again as if it were a creed.  
  
"Okay." Taki said as he went back to sleep.

* * *

Tatsuha lay in his brother's living room, having not slept the entire night. He was watching his video of the Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck concert in Okinawa. He had hoped on some level that he would be able to figure out what had happened last night, but he still wasn't sure.  
  
He paused on an image of Ryuichi. [The man's so sexy that it's a crime, but off stage, well, he's still that way, but now…] Tatsuha, realized that he had been rejected. It may not have been said, but nonetheless, he had been rejected. The fact that Ryuichi knew about his feelings and still chose someone else was a painful dose of reality.  
  
He had been looking at his videos and realized that he didn't feel the same as before. He still felt that Ryuichi was the greatest singer alive, but… His God… Tatsuha didn't know any more. Ryuichi had become all too human in only a short time. A human being with flaws, wants and needs. A human being that he might not want.  
  
He had never understood that until now. "I failed. And now Ryuichi probably hates me. Why couldn't I be satisfied like a normal person? I should have been happy that he even acknowledged my existence, but instead, instead I had to force my stupid dreams on him."  
  
He un-paused the video and let it play a while longer until it came to a scene where Ryuichi and Shuichi were doing a duet together. Tatsuha paused again, this time on the image of Shuichi. "And what the hell is wrong with me now? Why am I thinking about him that way? Last night I almost… Argh!" Tatsuha buried his face in a pillow and screamed.  
  
[Damn it! I was serious! I wasn't kidding around! It's not right though! Shuichi's my friend, not some rebound! Why did he let me do that! He's my brother's boyfriend!]  
  
Yet, besides thinking about Ryuichi, he had been thinking about Shuichi. He hadn't been able to forget, not for a moment. It didn't help that the boy was in the house, in the arms of his brother.  
  
[Damn! Don't tell me I'm in love with him! This can't be happening. If I was in love with him, I'd have known when we first met. What the hell is wrong with me?]  
  
"Why are you still here? Do you realize how much racket you're making? It's six in the morning." Tatsuha rolled over to see his brother towering over him. Tatsuha shrugged and went back to watching the video. After a few minutes, Yuki stalked off towards his office.  
  
[What would Eiri do if he knew I was thinking this way?] That was the worst thought yet. Rejection, hate, mockery. [No, not from him. I don't want that from my own brother.] Tatsuha got up and gathered his stuff.  
  
"Eiri, I'm going home." He said as he exited the door. [I'm not going to ruin my brother's life.]

* * *

Ryuichi, now fully dressed glanced once more at Taki before exiting the room. Getting the younger man to move was obviously a lost cause. At least now he could make breakfast. He headed towards the kitchen, and grabbed Kumagoro.  
  
"Wow, wow, wow. I can't believe it. He's here in my house. And last night we, we…" Ryuichi started to giggle. [I can't say those kinds of things in front of Kumagoro.]  
  
He grabbed a frying pan and then went to get some eggs. Ryuichi preferred western food, especially breakfast food, because of how easy it was to make. He usually goofed when it came to anything else. He started humming as he began to crack eggs and dump their contents into the pan.  
  
"Kumagoro, do you think Taki likes scrambled eggs?" The rabbit said nothing, yet Ryuichi nodded as if it had spoken. "Of course, who doesn't like scrambled eggs? At least, he'll like the way I make them. After all, I am the master." Ryuichi exclaimed proudly.

* * *

It was around this time that Taki had finally woken up. Well, more like he partially revived. As he got dressed, his mind started moving, although it was a clumsy process. Finally, he slumped out of the room, hoping to find Ryuichi.  
  
He poked his head in different rooms, not finding what he was looking for. One particular room caught his interest. It was a small study with a tv and a desk. The desk was pilled high with papers, sloppily arranged. Taki was curious by nature and soon found himself sitting down at the desk and sifting through the papers.  
  
He recognized them as Nittle Grasper song lyrics. He had never seen such bad handwriting in his life. He could just barely read it. He skimmed over them, very much aware that he was probably the envy of a million Nittle Grasper fans. His eyes widened as he came across some particular papers…  
  
"Taki, there you are." Ryuichi poked his head into the door. "Breakfast is ready! Come on, come on, before it gets cold! What are you looking at?" He asked quizzically.  
  
"Your eyes, dark and wild, burning with passion…" Taki read off something from a sheet of paper he was holding. Ryuichi stood there for a moment, frozen stiff. The color slowly returned to his face, making him look sunburned. It was then that he sprang into action, grabbing the paper from Taki's hands and proceeding in a light speed clean up of his desk. In a few seconds, the desk was bare and sparkling clean  
  
Ryuichi threw a hand behind his head and began to laugh like a maniac. "Nothing to see here, nope not a thing. Let's hurry before breakfast gets cold." He made a motion to grab Taki, only to find that the younger man was already walking out of the door.  
  
"My perfect angel, to whom I'd sell my soul…" Taki said with a smirk. Ryuichi stood there mortified. "I have them memorized." Taki replied as he headed towards the kitchen.

* * *

Shuichi walked into Yuki's office and reclined against the doorway. "Yuki, where's Tatsuha?"  
  
"He went home." Yuki said, still typing.  
  
"I see…" Shuichi walked out of the room, his eyes downcast. [Tatsuha… I… Damn it. What's wrong with me?]  
  
Shuichi slumped down on the couch, grabbing a box of Pocky. [First, I decided to ruin Ryuichi's date along with Tatsuha. Then I decide to ruin Tatsuha's date-breaking plan. And then I almost-almost-almost-] Shuichi shivered. He just couldn't bring himself to think about last night. Not in any way, shape or form.  
  
Yet, the simple facts had remained. Last night had gone too far. It wasn't the usual fooling around Tatsuha did. He didn't know what it was and he didn't know what he had been thinking. And now Tatsuha was gone. [I don't know whether to laugh or cry.]

* * *

Taki was surprised that he hadn't gotten poisoned by the meal. Ryuichi had not struck him as being capable of cooking himself a meal. Yet, the scrambled eggs weren't only passable as food, they were pretty damn good. Ryuichi was hardly touching his eggs though, only looking up occasionally then going back to stirring them.  
  
"They're just lyrics. What's the big deal?" Taki looked at Ryuichi pointedly. Ryuichi was now very interested in tearing his napkin into little pieces. "I mean, they're a little cheesy, but it's the thought that counts, right?"  
  
"When I first saw you I really wanted to write a song about you. I tried really hard and the lyrics still won't come out right. They have to be perfect." Ryuichi said morosely as he butchered yet another napkin.  
  
Taki looked down at his plate feeling a little peaked at the moment. "Well, like I said, it's the thought that counts. It's not every day that Ryuichi Sakuma writes songs for you. At least that's something." [Really what have I done to deserve anything from you? I was in denial until last night. In fact, I'm still a little scared.]  
  
"But, it's just, haven't you ever done anything embarrassing like that? For love I mean?"  
  
Taki looked at him a moment, then chuckled. "That's what's bothering you? What happened to that little movie ideal of yours?" Ryuichi glared at him, then merely looked down, realizing Taki was right.  
  
"I've never had a real boyfriend or girlfriend. Not really. In school, I was always the class clown. No one ever took me seriously, but when I tried to be serious, no one liked me. I was too straightforward, too harsh, too bold."  
  
Ryuichi swallowed. "Then, when I became a singer, it all flipped around. Suddenly, everyone liked the serious, "cool" Ryuichi they saw on stage. And they refused to believe that the playful side was also me. They'd get annoyed and leave after a time, convinced that I was faking.  
  
That's the way it's always been. I guess because of that I've always idealized relationships. I always wanted someone who would stay with me, regardless of the fact that I put on these masks. I guess I thought you were the one."  
  
Taki felt like a jerk at that moment. "I didn't know it meant that much to you." He looked down a moment, staring at the empty plate before him. "You're not the only one who puts on masks, you know." He sighed, not sure if he wanted to continue.  
  
"Everyone thinks I'm so confidant. Hell, I even fool myself sometimes. Deep down, I'm scared. I want to be liked. I want everyone to look at me, be in awe of me and admire me. I don't know what I'd do without that. So I act mean and nasty. That way, no one will ever realize how dependant I am. They won't pity me." He gave a dry laugh. "Sounds pretty sorry next to what you said though."  
  
Ryuichi shook his head furiously. "No, no. I don't think it's lame at all. I even understand it, a little bit." They were quiet for a moment, not sure what to say next.  
  
"Listen, just so you know, I'm a prick. I'm stuck up and obsessive. I also get really jealous. Can you honestly tell me that you still like me?" Taki was serious as he looked at Ryuichi, waiting for the older man's response.  
  
"Hey, I'm a thirty year old who still has a toy rabbit and likes to color with crayons. I'm annoying and childish. And I'm socially handicapped. I'm guaranteed to embarrass you wherever we go. Yet, you like me, don't you?" Ryuichi smiled, holding Kumagoro closely. The two started laughing.  
  
"Yeah. I guess I am snapped. It must be Seguchi's fault. He has nothing but crazies in that building." Taki grinned, feeling strangely relieved. [Damn. Crazy doesn't even begin to cover this. I should be practical and end this, but…] "I have the feeling that this is a good thing." [Maybe just this is worth taking a chance on.]  
  
"Crazy isn't a very nice word. But, I'm glad you're seeing things my way." Ryuichi had a warm feeling inside. He knew something good was happening, but he wasn't sure what it was. All he knew was that one thought was crossing his mind. [This is what I wanted.]

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Taki undergoes a rather extensive Q and A session coursed of his friends. And Ryuichi still a little peeved at Shuichi and Tatsuha. Of course Shuichi has problems of his own. Namely a love sick teenager.  
  
Please Read and Review. 


	13. Your friends, whether you like it or not

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi  
  
Summary: Taki suffers through outrageous and embarrassing torture. Ryuichi has it out with Shuichi.  
  
[] a character's thoughts.  
  
flashback  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 13  
  
"Tachi! You're here early." Ma-kun said as he entered the office, Ken close behind. "So how did your date go?" The blonde winked.  
  
"Yeah. Spill it." Ken was obviously just as interested, not that he betrayed it.  
  
"It went." Taki muttered. He was looking down at some legal documents, hoping to ignore his so-called friends.  
  
"Really? That's so vague! I always tell you about my dates." Ma-kun wasn't going to take no for an answer. Taki couldn't care less about sharing.

"We went out. We had… fun." Taki snarled as he grabbed a pen and began signing his signature to some papers.  
  
"What kind of fun?" Ken cocked an eyebrow, not that you could easily tell through the sunglasses.  
  
"Fun." Taki was making sure to keep his head down. Ma-kun and Ken both leaned in so that they could look him in the eye.  
  
"Really. Kinky fun I bet." Ma-kun had an amused tone to his voice. [Bastard has to make everything perverted. Though, Saturday night was… kinky.] Taki now had the papers in front of his face, pretending to read them. Ken pushed the papers down, not willing to let him escape.  
  
"He's blushing." Ken said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Leave me alone." He swiveled in the chair, face flaming. Ma-kun tried to step in front of him, causing Taki to swivel away again. Only he found Ken in front of him now. "Alright! I give!"

* * *

Ryuichi was jumping up and down inside of Tohma's office. "And then, me and Taki played video games. Taki's really good! He beat me every time. Well, except on Midnight Run. He's not good at racing games."  
  
"I'm happy for you, Ryu." Tohma was typing on his computer, apparently doing the typical president thing.  
  
"Oh, and, and, and…" Ryuichi stammered, trying to remember what he was going to say. Tohma smiled to himself. He really was happy for Ryuichi, but he was also worried that his friend might be expecting a little much out of Taki. He had the feeling that ASK's vocalist might have a hard time handling this relationship.  
  
"Oh." Tohma remembered something else he had been curious about. "Ryu, did you run into Shindou or Tatsuha?" An eerie silence filled the room, the calm before the storm. "Eh, Ryu?" Tohma grimaced.  
  
"Yeah. I ran into them." Ryuichi was quiet, an edge to his voice.  
  
"I see…" [Uh, oh. He's angry. This isn't good.] "Did something happen?" Tohma was really hoping that he was mistaken and Ryuichi wasn't angry, just sick from the twenty jelly donuts he'd had previously.  
  
"Things… happened. Tohma, I think I need some air." Ryuichi said as he headed towards the door. He paused for a moment before existing. "Oh, and tell Shuichi that I need to talk to him."

* * *

Taki wanted to bury his head in his arms and disappear. Somehow he had spilled every last detail. Ma-kun and Ken now knew about Saturday night and all of Sunday. [Really, Sunday isn't the embarrassing part. All we did was putz around his house. But, they weaseled the previous night's events out of me.]  
  
"I think it's cute." Ma-kun snickered. "Taki has a boyfriend."  
  
"Whatever." Muttered Ken, his mind now elsewhere. It was annoying Taki. [If I'm forced to embarrass myself, I better have your full attention.]  
  
"What's your problem?" Taki shot at Ken, who just looked away. Ma-kun laughed even louder.  
  
"He lost the bet, that's what. Speaking of which, pay up." Ma-kun gestured towards the keyboardist. Grumbling, Ken pulled out his wallet and removed a thousand yen. Taki watched the exchange, eyes narrowing.  
  
"What bet?" Taki glanced at them both, knowing that it had probably been at his expense and that he would have to beat the crap out of them for it.  
  
"I bet Ken that you would get Ryuichi in the sack. Ken told me you couldn't."  
  
"What?" The two looked a little nervous, realizing they were going to suffer the consequences for their misdeeds. "What do you mean I couldn't?" Taki's eyes were burning as they looked at Ken.  
  
Ken had his hands up in a defensive position. "What I mean to say is… Well, you're…" Taki was up now walking towards Ken, looking incredibly angry. He reached up and pulled the other man down by his shirt, so that their eyes were level.  
  
"Well. Your safety depends on how you answer."  
  
"I mean, even you aren't that indecent…" Taki was confused for a moment.  
  
"So, now I'm indecent?" [Since when… Now I feel so dirty.] Ken gritted his teeth, fearing for his life.  
  
"No, no. I meant-" Ma-kun chose to cut in at this moment.  
  
"He meant to say that you're not hot enough to bag someone like Ryuichi Sakuma." He even had that idiot grin in place.  
  
"That's not what I meant!" Shouted Ken as he pulled away from Taki. "Besides, Ma-kun said even worse things about you!" As Taki turned to glare at him, Ma-kun became the frightened one.  
  
"He's lying, Tachi. Honestly. I would never say anything bad about you." Ken and Taki looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"Liar." They said in unison.  
  
Ken looked at Taki seriously. "Tachi, he called you a slut and a horn dog." Taki looked at Ma-kun, thinking about it.  
  
"Really. That sounds like something he would say." The look on his face indicated that Ma-kun was going to face divine justice.  
  
"Those weren't the words I used! I just said that you'd be a fool not to take this chance."  
  
Ken snorted in disgust. "Yeah, his exact words were, "Even Tachi isn't that stupid." Ma-kun gulped as Taki advanced on him.  
  
"Oh, so Taki's stupid is he?" His voice was dangerously low. Without warning, he lunged at Ma-kun. Ken tried to get into the fray, hoping to save Ma-kun from Taki's wrath. Unfortunately, he was drug into it as well. After a while, the dust settled, leaving the three disheveled and slightly worse for wear, but still living.  
  
"I'm sorry I said you couldn't get any." Huffed Ken, looking for his sunglasses.  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sorry I called you stupid." Ma-kun had removed a comb from his jacket and was brushing his hair.  
  
"Don't mention it." Taki rubbed his wrist, feeling a little sore. Ken got up and helped Ma-kun up, then did the same for Taki.  
  
"Oh, and Tachi, congratulations." Ma-kun flashed him a smile. His smile grew even wider at Taki's puzzled look. "Congratulations on finding a boyfriend, moron." Taki cocked an eyebrow for a moment, then grinned.  
  
"Thanks. For once I'm ahead of you losers." Ma-kun and Ken looked at him, a little annoyed.  
  
"Jerk." They muttered as Taki left the room, cackling.

* * *

Shuichi headed towards the roof, feeling nervous. When Tohma had paged him, saying Ryuichi wanted to talk to him, it was as if a death knell had sounded. [Ryuichi's going to kill me. Or he'll never want to be my friend again.] Shuichi could feel the tears streaming down his face.  
  
He had every reason to fear. When Ryuichi was angry or in his "intense" mode, he was scary and difficult to talk to. Nonetheless, he had decided to face his end with dignity and courage. All he had to do was open the door, but his hands were trembling. [Why did it have to be a roof? Is he going to push me off it?]  
  
Shuichi gulp and slowly opened the door. [Good bye cruel world. Bye Mom, Dad, Maiko. Good bye Hiro. Goodbye Yuki, Tatsuha.] He stepped through the door and winced as a cold breeze brushed pass him. "Windy up here."  
  
"Yo, Shuichi." Came a voice that chilled him to the core. He turned around, seeing Ryuichi behind him.  
  
"Ulp. Ryuichi. Hi. Nice weather we're having." He said lamely, unable to hide his fear.  
  
"Shuichi we need to talk."

* * *

Tatsuha adjusted his monk's robe, feeling irritated. Usually he didn't mind wearing the garb. Regardless of what some people thought of him, he liked being a monk. It wasn't stopping him from having fun, and he got to help people out with their problems. Plus, some boys and girls loved a man in uniform. But, today it chafed against his skin.  
  
"Shit! You'd think I would be able to solve my own problems. No wonder Dad would rather have Eiri as his successor." He grabbed the beer that was sitting next to him and took a few swallows.  
  
[I'm quite possibly in love with my brother's boyfriend. And I'm not sure if it's genuine or if I'm seeing some rock legend in him.] For the first time ever, Tatsuha honestly believed his life sucked.  
  
[Why do I always want what I can't have? I should follow Mika's advice and set my sights lower.] Still, he couldn't stop himself from thinking it…  
  
"Shuichi." He whispered. The guy was so much fun, so cute. So kind and understanding. Determined, brave and generous. He had always liked that about his friend, yet he had never thought about Shuichi as anything beyond a possible one nightstand. Not until now.  
  
"Damn. I think this is the first time I've ever resented Eiri." It was true though. Tatsuha realized his brother had something he wanted. And the worst thing was, Tatsuha doubted that Eiri appreciated Shuichi. That made it a million times worse. Plus, Shuichi no longer seemed like the bastion of faith Tatsuha had always assumed he was. It seriously tempted a guy to just go for it, saying to hell with family ties.  
  
"Why do I have to have a moral dilemma now?"

* * *

"Ryuichi, listen I…" Shuichi stammered, feeling nervous. Ryuichi wasn't smiling, which was usually not a good sign.  
  
"Why? Why would you want to do that Shuichi? I can understand about Tatsuha, but why you?" His voice was quiet and Shuichi couldn't tell if Ryuichi was angry or sad.  
  
"I-I don't know. I told myself it was because of Tatsuha, but that's not the truth, at least not all of it. I resented the idea of you being with him, because I don't think he deserves you." Shuichi dug his hands into his pockets. "Why does it have to be him, Ryuichi? Why does it have to be that guy?"  
  
"Why? Because I love him. I shouldn't have to explain, considering that Yuki isn't a model citizen either." Shuichi flinched.  
  
"I know. I know that." [Of course I do. I know I shouldn't decide on other people's love lives when mine's not perfect.]  
  
"The reason I guess I don't like this is because I don't like him." [There. I said it.]  
  
"I think he feels the same way. I don't know why though." Ryuichi sounded sad now.  
  
"Ryuichi I don't know how to explain it. He acts like a jerk to me all the time. And I just can't stand his stuck up attitude, so I always fight back. I guess, if I said there was anything between us, it's that we're rivals."  
  
Ryuichi looked at him oddly, as if he didn't understand the concept. "Shuichi, we're rivals and we don't hate each other. Why would it be any different between you and Taki?" [He doesn't hate me. Thank God.] Shuichi smiled, feeling very relieved right now.  
  
"It's just different. Some people aren't going to like each other, no matter what. That's just the way it is."  
  
"But, I want you two to like each other. You're one of my best friends. And he's…" Ryuichi choked back a noise and turned away from Shuichi. Shuichi placed a hand on Ryuichi's back.  
  
"Listen, I don't like him, but… I can try to get along with him." Ryuichi turned around, face streaked with tears, but also smiling.  
  
"Really? You mean it?"  
  
"Of course I do. Besides, someone has to be there in case he screws you over." Shuichi said proudly, quoting one of Hiro's lines. Suddenly, Ryuichi started laughing out loud. "Eh?" Shuichi blinked.  
  
"It's already a little late for that." Ryuichi's eyes glinted, an evil look in them. Shuichi looked at him, trying to figure out what Ryuichi meant and then it hit him.  
  
"Eww."  
  
Ryuichi smirked. "What are you talking about? Like all the times you go on and on about Yuki is such a treat."  
  
"That's different. Yuki's much hotter then Aizawa."  
  
"Yeah, well Taki's prettier. Come on, let's go some place warmer." Ryuichi said as he headed down the stairs. Shuichi followed behind Ryuichi, trying to figure out a good retort.  
  
"Oh, alright. I'll agree he is pretty. In an effeminate way." [At least Yuki has rugged sex appeal and Tatsuha is even hotter…] Shuichi froze in his tracks.  
  
"Shuichi, what's wrong?" Ryuichi stopped, waiting for Ryuichi.  
  
"Oh, nothing." Shuichi said as he started moving again. [What the hell was that? Tatsuha is not, since when was he so…] Shuichi shook his head in frustration. [Oh great, I'm having fantasies about a sixteen year old.]

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Tatsuha and Shuichi angst. And of course some stuff with Ryuichi and Taki.  
  
Love it? Don't Love it? Review and tell me.

Sorry, I had to get rid of my replies to all the reviews. I want to comply with the rules against chat dialogue or overly long author's notes.


	14. Sweet, Sweet Temptation

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi  
  
Summary: Tatsuha and Shuichi have a conversation. Taki and Ryuichi are stuck with each other for the day.  
  
Notes: To the one person who asked, no Taki hasn't done anything to Shuichi in this story line. He never got the chance to because this annoying thirty year old got in the way…snickers  
  
Also, I'm not replying to reviews in my fics anymore. It's just too much time and space. Sorry. But, everyone is still appreciated, trust me.

[ ] a character's thoughts.  
flashback  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 14  
  
The urge kept screaming in Tatsuha's mind. [Go to Tokyo! Go to Tokyo!] It always hit after a week and usually he obeyed the command quite eagerly. But, he had a good reason then. Seeing Mika or Yuki, clubbing, or the possibility of seeing Ryuichi Sakuma. It was different now. A new reason was pulling at him, causing him a lack of sleep.  
  
Shuichi Shindou. His brother's lover. The newest pop sensation. Ryuichi Sakuma's heir apparent. And Tatsuha Uesugi's newest crush….  
  
He sat on his motorcycle, trying to talk himself into… What? Going? Not Going? He didn't know anymore. As he revved up the engine though, it became obvious what he was going to do…

* * *

Ryuichi lay in wait outside the apartment, hoping Taki was actually planning on going outside today. The singer had been waiting for a couple of hours now, having roused himself early. It occurred to him that maybe he should have called Taki or maybe he should've knocked, but then it wouldn't have been a surprise.  
  
He wanted to spend more time with Taki and wanted it to be something special. He wanted a date, one that was a real date and wouldn't be ruined by supposed "friends." Or, if he was to admit sheepishly, his own ineptness.  
  
Not that Taki seemed anymore competent in the romance department. Ryuichi didn't know why, but Taki just couldn't look him in the eye without getting red or turning into a pathetic, mumbling heap. That just wouldn't do. No, it wouldn't do at all. Ryuichi was determined to cure him of that.  
  
At that moment, the door opened and without even thinking, Ryuichi lunged. "Taki!" He knew he was imitating Shuichi perfectly, which made the thirty-one year old happy. But, he was quickly disappointed when he found a different person underneath him. A dark haired guy with skewed sunglasses, who was taller and a little more built then Taki.  
  
"Oh sorry! I thought you were someone else." Ryuichi was sweat dropping as he got off of the other man, who was rather calm.  
  
"Oh, it's you, Sakuma. Tachi! Your boyfriend's here!" The guy shouted, as he got to his feet. Taki came walking to the door and looked at the two, not in the best of moods.  
  
"What's going on…" His eyes widened as he saw Ryuichi, but he turned his attention to his bandmate instead. "What happened to your glasses, Ken-chan?" Ken looked them closely, realizing that the frame was slightly bent.  
  
He sighed as he fiddled with it. "I was attacked by someone who has too much love to give." Taki's mouth twitched. [That sounds like something Ma-kun would say…] "I'll be leaving now, so you two can fix this little problem." They both watched Ken walk off into the distance, the poor guy a little dazed from the crash landing.

"I guess, you can come in." It came out awkwardly as Taki stepped back inside, followed by Ryuichi.  
  
"That's your keyboardist, right? What was he doing here?" Ryuichi made his way to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. He then started drinking straight from the carton. Taki looked grossed out for a moment, but decided not to correct the older man.  
  
"We went out on the town last night. He was a little drunk, so I ended up taking him home." Ryuichi stopped, mid gulp.  
  
"Out on the town?" There was an odd look in Ryuichi's eyes. Taki looked back at him, wondering what he had said wrong. [Is he jealous?]  
  
"Wait a moment… It's not like that! I wasn't picking anybody up!" Now Ryuichi was even more suspicious.  
  
"You could have taken me." The older man was now cross and it showed.  
  
"I didn't think you'd like that sort of thing. We just went to our regular hangouts. Nothing you would be interested in. I mean really, they were dives." [Just shoot me now…]  
  
Ryuichi crossed his arms, looking at the taller man sternly. "Sure. The usual dives. The best places to pick up a one night stand." Taki looked ready to scream.  
  
"What can I say to make you believe me?" He was getting exasperated. No girl had ever, ever made him feel this much grief. Ryuichi smirked, which was a creepy look for him.  
  
"You must swear to do whatever I say for the whole day!" Taki sweat dropped.  
  
"That's all?" Ryuichi was smiling as he suddenly glomped onto Taki.  
  
"Silly. Come on, hurry up and get dressed! Ryuichi wants strawberry smoothies!"

* * *

Shuichi woke up from his dream with a start, skin flushed, body covered in sweat. He closed his eyes and shuddered. Lately, it had been the same thing. A familiar face, yet not the person he was supposed to dream about. Shuichi should have been dreaming of blondes, not guys with dark hair. Not dreaming about…  
  
He looked next to him, seeing Yuki's unoccupied spot. [Why am I dreaming these thoughts when I have him…] Not that the novelist cared or anything. Shuichi had told Yuki about his dreams (without naming who was in those dreams of course) only to have the man mock him for getting bored with their relationship. Like it was some kind of joke.  
  
The door bell rang at that moment, halting his train of thought. Just as he was getting up to answer it, he heard a click as the door opened and someone came in. "Yuki, Shuichi, anybody home?" Hollered a familiar and dreaded voice.  
  
"What's he doing here?" [God, why? Why?]

* * *

Ryuichi slammed down his glass, now completely drained. "That hit the spot! Hurry up and finish yours." Taki was only about a fourth of the way through his and was a little shocked that Ryuichi was done already.  
  
"How could you have three already?" [Where does he put it?]  
  
"Why not?" Ryuichi was fidgeting in his seat, ready for the next activity, if only Taki would stop being so slow. He began squirming some more, then he decided to snatch away Taki's smoothie and drunk it down in two gulps.  
  
"Hey!!" Taki yelled as he reached out for the stolen glass, only to have it returned empty. "I wasn't finished with that." Taki was having a hard time hiding the disappointed look on his face.  
  
"Too bad. We're doing whatever I want today, so you cant complain. Now let's get going!" Ryuichi got up and grabbed Taki's hand. "We're going shopping." Taki found himself being dragged yet again. [Why me? Why him?]

* * *

"Eh, Tatsuha…what are you doing here?" Shuichi looked at the teenager, trying to hide the lump in his throat. Tatsuha looked away, his heart pounding.  
  
"Oh, uh… I was looking for Yuki. Is he here?" [Please be here, please be here. If I'm alone with Shuichi, I…]  
  
"Well, he's at a meeting with his editor. He'll be gone all day. So I guess you'll have to catch him tomorrow. Bye." Shuichi said as he prepared to send Tatsuha outside.  
  
"Wait!" Tatsuha yelled, causing Shuichi to freeze. "That's not why I'm here. C-Can I come in?" Shuichi knew that everything was not right. He could tell by the nervous look on Tatsuha's face. Tatsuha was never nervous, ever. And if Shuichi was correct in guessing the reason, then shoving Yuki's brother out the door and changing the locks wasn't such a bad idea. But, instead he let the teenager in.  
  
"What is it?" Shuichi starred down at his feet, hands behind his back.  
  
"It's about, that one night a week or so ago. I don't know why, but I haven't felt the same since."  
  
"Well, considering what happened with Ryuichi, that's understandable." Shuichi said it hesitantly. His brain was screaming, "Wrong!," but Shuichi ignored it.  
  
"No. It's not really about Ryuichi. I'm doing okay now. If anything, I think last week was just what I needed."  
  
"Well, that's good to hear." Shuichi was relieved. He had been worried about how Tatsuha was taking the Ryuichi situation. Realistic or not, it still hurt when you lost a dream. Yet, the question still remained, what did Tatsuha want? "But, if it's not about Ryuichi, then what is it?" The teenager sighed to himself before speaking.  
  
"There's someone else I like. I've known this person for a long time, but I was so blinded by Ryuichi that I never gave him a second thought. But, now that I have, I know that I have to do something." Shuichi gulped, feeling a little afraid, knowing what was coming.  
  
"Is it anyone I know?"  
  
"I would hope so." Tatsuha was looking him in the eyes, dead serious. He pulled Shuichi closer, causing the older teen to gasp.  
  
"Tatsuha…" He didn't have a chance to protest as the other boy kissed him.

* * *

Taki struggled as he carried six bags, trying not to drop any. Who knew Ryuichi had such an appetite for clothing? And who knew that Taki Aizawa was going to be his porter for the day?  
  
"You could carry some of these bags. It's all your stuff." He was getting mad and he no longer felt guilty about hurting Ryuichi's feelings that morning.  
  
"Silence! You're the slave, so you carry the clothes." Ryuichi looked rather domineering at that moment.  
  
"I never said I would be your slave." Taki huffed. Ryuichi stalked up to the younger man and looked him in the eye.  
  
"You agreed to do whatever I wanted today. So technically, you are my slave. Besides, maybe it'll be a little better later on." Ryuichi smiled seductively. Taki was some where between turned on and a little more freaked out than before. [What is with the 'I'm so bad act' today?]

* * *

After what seemed like a few minutes, Shuichi broke the kiss and pulled away. "Tatsuha, are you nuts!? I'm already with Yuki!"  
  
"You didn't care a few minutes ago." Tatsuha replied coldly. "I think you even moaned."  
  
Shuichi's face flushed visibly. "I did not!" He sputtered, mortified by the situation.  
  
"Yes, you did." They stared at each other, the clock ticking, tension in the air.  
  
"Listen, that night, it didn't mean anything." Shuichi was hoping he could convince the younger teen to drop the subject. [Tatsuha's just desperate, that's all.]  
  
"Then that kiss wouldn't mean anything either." The way Shuichi's body tensed confirmed Tatsuha's suspicion. "I bet you've even dreamed about me." The swallowing motion Shuichi made was even more encouraging.  
  
"Listen, it's not like that. Dreams are just dreams." [But, why do I want him to, no, this is not that dream!]  
  
"No. You're lying. Why are you scared? Is it because you wont be able to resist me?" Tatsuha had a sly smile in place.  
  
"It isn't about that!" Shuichi shouted. "I'm already taken! I cant betray Yuki like this!" He shook, unable to control the fear that was going through his body. Tatsuha's eyes softened.  
  
"Shuichi, I know you're Yuki's. But," he halted for a moment, "I'm not giving up. I will do whatever it takes to win you over. Even if that means hurting Yuki"  
  
"Tatsuha…" [Oh no…]

* * *

[Please someone, anyone, save me!] Taki couldn't take anymore shopping. He wasn't made for shopping. And sadly, Ryuichi was. "Wow! They have a buy one, get one free sale!" The older man began dragging Taki over to the place that was crawling with loud mouthed women, who were swarming like ants. "Get out of the way! That's mine!" Yelled Ryuichi as he began elbowing his way into the crowd. Taki stayed back, a safe distance from the crowd.  
  
"Why does he care about sales anyways? He could buy anything he wants." Taki sighed as he crossed his arms. He was worn out. Ryuichi had far too much energy for the younger man to keep up with. He thought he heard a scream come from the mass, but he wasn't sure if it was Ryuichi's. Suddenly, Ryuichi stumbled back from the chaos, clutching something in his hands. He was beaming, a triumphant look on his face.  
  
"Look at these! Normally, they're 400 yen a piece, but at these prices, they're practically free!"  
  
"I'm happy for you." Taki muttered. Ryuichi noticed and sidled up to him.  
  
The older man rose up on his tiptoes and whispered into the other's ear, "What's the matter? Is Taki feeling left out? Does he want Ryuichi to make it all better?" Taki's face flushed as he felt a hand creep up his shirt.  
  
"Eh, well, that is, um shouldn't we go somewhere more private?" Taki pointed towards a bunch of women who were staring, drooling dripping from their lips.

* * *

"Tatsuha, you have to leave now!" Shuichi wasn't about to betray Yuki. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.  
  
"No." Tatsuha said bluntly. "We are going to deal with this now."  
  
"What is there to deal with? I'm taken!!" Shuichi screamed. Tatsuha roughly pinned him to the wall.  
  
"If you didn't care, you wouldn't be so upset! You wouldn't be so freaked out! I know you want this!" Shuichi raised his hand as if to make a point when the phone rang. The pop star managed to extract himself from Tatsuha's grip and made it over to the phone.  
  
"Hello, Mika! What do you mean Tatsuha's in trouble?" Shuichi looked at the teen, who was now a little worried. "Is Tatsuha here?" Shuichi got a sly look on his face as Tatsuha shook his head violently. "Why yes, yes he is. Mika?" He stared at the phone for a few minutes, then put it back on the hook. "That's funny. The moment I said you were here, she just hung up. I wonder if she's that eager to get you back..?" He looked to see that Tatsuha was going out the door.  
  
"Listen Shuichi, you may have won today, but we are going to talk about this. And I will get you to admit you like me as more then a friend. And there will be no one to protect you." And with that, he was out the door. Shuichi threw himself on the couch and sighed. He wasn't as happy as he should have been. In fact, he felt like crap.

* * *

Ryuichi and Taki ducked into a public restroom, heaving. You could hear a screaming mob running past them. "I think we lost them." Taki gasped, eyes closed.  
  
"You'd better check. Women are very persistent when chasing after Ryuichi." Ryuichi was leaning against Taki, body heaving. Taki peeked out the door after a few seconds then ducked his head back in.  
  
"I think they're gone. But, we better wait here until we're sure."  
  
"That's fine with Ryuichi." Before Taki could react, Ryuichi jumped on him, shoving the younger man to the ground.  
  
"Hey-" Taki cried, only to be silenced by Ryuichi's mouth pressed against his. Taki threaded his arms around Ryuichi's waist, enjoying the feeling of the other's lean body against his. They pulled apart after awhile, still winded from the earlier escape.  
  
"I didn't think you were the pervy type." Taki muttered, as he gazed into Ryuichi's eyes.  
  
"What's pervy about doing it in a restroom? Lot's of people do it in restrooms." Ryuichi smiled, obviously in a good mood.  
  
"I don't think I want to try explaining it. Besides, if you wanted sex, you could have just asked." Taki muttered.  
  
"But, I didn't want just sex. I wanted to have fun with you. Today was fun, right?"  
  
"Yeah, strangely enough it was." Taki smiled, reaching up to pull off Ryuichi's jacket. There came a coughing noise. Both of them looked up to see a man in a business suit looking down at them. Apparently he had just entered. The two men on the floor looked at him, frozen.  
  
"Eh, don't mind me." The man had an embarrassed grin as he walked over to the sink and washed his face and hands. Ryuichi and Taki watched him the whole time. Finally the man finished and was just leaving the room, when he stopped to give the two a look. "I think it's great that young people like you are so open with your affections, but I think you should find a better place to express yourselves. Good day." He said as he walked out.  
  
"Taki, is that why it's pervy to do it in a public restroom?" Ryuichi looked at door where the man had exited.  
  
"Yes, that's one of the reason's it's pervy."

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Ryuichi and Taki have a big problem. Taki's about to have problems with a certain maniac. And Shuichi discusses his Tatsuha/Yuki troubles with an unlikely source…  
  
Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I've been very tired feeling lately and had a small writer's block to boot. But, I'm back now. Remember to review. Positive reinforcement helps me write.


	15. Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi.  
  
Summary: Just a mindless set up for more mayhem. Some mushy Taki and Ryuichi stuff. And Shuichi being indecisive about Tatsuha and Yuki. Plus, I'm adding two more characters to the mix.  
  
a character's thoughts.  
  
flashback  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or it's characters

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 15  
  
"Concert! But, Tohma I don't want to!" Ryuichi cried, from his spot next to Noriko. He glared through his tears at Tohma, who was sitting across from them. They were having a meeting about the benefit concert they were going to be doing in London that week. Unfortunately, it seemed Ryuichi had forgotten all about it/

"Ryuichi, we have a contract." Tohma replied calmly, his expression neutral. It still surprised him when Ryuichi had these outbursts, but he had learned not to lose his temper.  
  
"I don't care! Break it!" Noriko smirked at him.  
  
"You just don't want to leave your new boy toy behind, right?" She elbowed the vocalist playfully. "Are you afraid he'll play around without you?"  
  
"Noriko! Taki's not that kind of person!" Ryuichi shouted as he came to his beloved's defense.  
  
"Well, he is in his early twenties and you are in your thirties. Suppose you get wrinkles… He might trade you in for a younger model." She snickered as she saw Ryuichi whimper. Tohma sighed, reminding himself that these two were adults and not a couple of whiney children.  
  
"Ryuichi, you made a promise, remember? Don't tell me you're going to break it?" Tohma smiled as he saw Ryuichi's shocked look. Gets him every time.  
  
"Well, yeah… But it's just that…"  
  
"I know. You want to spend more time with him. But, he has work to do anyways. He couldn't spend time with you either way." Tohma said as he glanced at the singer evenly. It was just like Ryuichi to act this way. Whether it was music or a relationship, Ryuichi always put all his energy into it. "Ryu, don't worry. It's just one weekend."

* * *

Shuichi groaned as he looked down at the lyrics he had managed to write. "These are no good." Dammit. I can't stop thinking about Tatsuha… or Yuki! He was seriously missing the days when he was just angsting over the blonde novelist. Worrying about two sexual deviants was much more stressful.  
  
The sudden click of a gun made it even more worrisome. He turned around to see K holding a revolver to his face. "Tell me why you are not creating!" The American shouted at Shuichi, who merely flinched instead of having his normal panic attack. K noticed this unusually lackluster reaction to his antics and frowned. He shoved the muzzle to the pink-haired boy's face, hoping a more forceful demand would do the trick. "Compose now! Before I blow your brains out!"  
  
"K! I don't think that is necessary!" Said Sakano as he began to pull the taller man back. "The deadline is month away!" The producer was unusually calm, probably because Tohma had given him a big fat raise. In fact, Sakano was in such a good mood that he hadn't freaked out once that week.

Hiro clasped his hand on K's back, obviously in agreement with Sakano. "Let's give him some space." With that Sakano and Hiro began the arduous process of dragging K through the door. Shuichi sighed in relief once they were gone, glad to be alone with his thoughts.  
  
"Hmm. Everyone has to leave just because you're having another self induced slump." Shuichi cursed inwardly as he turned around to see that Suguru Fujisaki was still there.  
  
"Fujisaki, why don't you go with them?" Shuichi muttered, trying not to be too obvious. He didn't hate Suguru, well not anymore. But still, the kid seemed to have it in for him.  
  
"Unlike some people, I'm actually working. I'm not happy with this new set either." He frowned as he messed with a dial. Shuichi decided to ignore that last comment and went back his lyrics. The silence didn't last long though.  
  
"Argh!! That's it. I quit!" Shuichi yelled as he slammed down the papers. Suguru glanced out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"What did he do this time? Or was it something you did? Not that I care." Suguru said coolly. Why am I stuck with someone so emotional?  
  
"For your information, _he_ didn't do anything. It was his brother!" Shuichi yelled, no longer able to hold back. The keyboardist merely cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"His brother… You mean the one who's obsessed with Sakuma?" Shuichi looked at Suguru as if the boy had fallen out of the sky.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Mika. She is married to my cousin after all." Suguru had a look on his face as if to say, "duh." Shuichi was quiet, feeling like an idiot. "What did he do?"  
  
"It's none of your business!" Shuichi shouted, his face going red.  
  
"Yes it is. When your personal life starts interfering with the band, then I have every right to know why I'm being screwed over." Shuichi was speechless as the younger boy continued. "Let me guess. From what I know of him, he made a move on you, right? You liked it and don't know what to do? Am I right?" Suguru had a knowing smile that only widened as he saw Shuichi's look of shock.

* * *

Taki sighed to himself, wishing that his lunch break could last forever. He had an hour before he went back to practice and wasn't looking forward to going back. He wanted everything to be perfect for the concert this weekend. And so far, everything was going well, but it still wasn't good enough. _He_ still wasn't good enough. If he wasn't a hundred percent confident, his voice would go off key.

Why did he have to feel so tired? And what was that thing that was glomping him from behind?  
  
"Taki! I have lunch for you!" Came a sing-song voice. Taki turned and glared at Ryuichi.  
  
"What are you feeding me this time?" Please, don't let it be homemade.  
  
"Rice Balls! I made them myself." Damn it! He did make them. At least it isn't some type of crazy western food. He opened the box and frowned, feeling resigned to his fate, but knowing he was better off than the rice balls. The poor things were so lumpy and malformed.  
  
He popped one into his mouth and grimaced as he realized they were filled with pickled plum, a food he absolutely hated. He saw that Ryuichi had already grabbed one and was eating it, with out any problems. Taki just shook his head and continued eating. It wasn't that Ryuichi was a bad cook, it's just that he wasn't a great one. But, if I complain, he'll start crying. So Taki ended up tolerating the lunches. Besides, he liked it when Ryuichi was like this.  
  
He liked how they could be together and not do or say anything. Or if they did talk, it could be about the most inane crap imaginable. And either way, it was gratifying to know that Ryuichi Sakuma of all people was willing to make lunch for someone like Taki Aizawa.  
  
"Well, is it good? Is it, is it?" Ryuichi looked at him with big, shiny eyes.  
  
"Yeah, it's okay." Taki noticed grains of rice scattered around the older man's face. It was beginning to bug him. Plus, Ryuichi was suddenly looking depressed. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"I have a concert this weekend." Ryuichi was looking down as he said it

"So? I have one too." The older man sighed, feeling a little annoyed by Ryuichi's current state of cleanliness. I really wish he would clean his mouth.  
  
"Mine's in London." He muttered, looking at the older man, obviously frustrated.  
  
"Oh, overseas. I don't see why you would be sad though." Taki instantly regretted what he said as Ryuichi started crying. The older man glomped onto him, stopping just short of squeezing the life out of Taki. "Eh, Ryuichi…that's not to say…uh…" What did I do now!? And he's getting rice on me.  
  
"I'm going to miss you so much! Aren't you going to miss Ryuichi!?" That's what was bothering him?  
  
"Of course I'll miss you." Taki blushed. Damn him for making me say this mushy crap!  
  
"Really? Really, really truly?" Taki nodded, only to be squeezed even harder. "That makes me so happy!" As Ryuichi was hugging him, Taki couldn't help but notice that some of that blasted rice was still there, hanging off his bottom lip. I can't take it anymore!  
  
He grabbed Ryuichi by the shoulders and before the older man could protest, Taki pressed their mouths together. After a moment he pulled away and noted with satisfaction that the offending grain was gone. "Taki…" Ryuichi looked at him, surprised for a moment.  
  
"Don't worry. I promise to be really lonely without you. That just means you have to come back sooner." He ruffled a hand through Ryuichi's hair affectionately.  
  
"Just when I think I finally have you figured out…" Ryuichi was grinning from ear to ear. The younger man snickered.  
  
"You're the one with the split personality."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. Tatsuha came onto you. But this isn't the first time he's done it either, is it?" Suguru had his arms crossed as he looked down at Shuichi.  
  
"No." Shuichi said as he looked down to avoid the icy gaze. He felt like he was being interrogated. All that was needed was the proper lighting.  
  
"Now if I am to understand this right, up until now it has never been meant as anything more than a joke or as a possible one night stand? Am I correct?" Shuichi nodded. "And now you are torn between him and Yuki, right?" Seeing Shuichi nod yet again, Suguru sighed. "Are you sure it's not just because you're bored with Yuki?"  
  
"No! I love Yuki! It's just that Tatsuha… Well… I mean… That is…" The younger boy looked down at Shuichi with contempt. Stupid Jerk. Doesn't realize how lucky he is.  
  
"Listen, I suggest you think about this carefully. Think about how you feel about Yuki and why Tatsuha suddenly seems so appealing. I'm sure then you'll be able to make a decision." Yeah that sounds about right. Not that I have anything to base this on.  
  
"But, if Tatsuha comes over, I won't be able to say no. And if Yuki finds out…" Shuichi felt so weak and helpless right now.  
  
"No is no." Suguru said as he glanced at Shuichi. Why is he the leader?  
  
"But, I just know he's going to come over this weekend and Yuki's going to be away again." Shuichi started crying now, knowing he was screwed. Suguru refused to pity him though. He just wants an excuse! That has to be it! He wants to cheat and needs validation!  
  
"Why don't you just tell Yuki?"  
  
"Because, he'll get mad. He might even throw me out! And what about Tatsuha? What if Yuki never speaks to him again? He hates Mika and he barely speaks to his father. If he cuts off Tatsuha, he'll have no one left."  
  
Suguru scoffed, knowing that Shuichi was exaggerating the dysfunctions of that family, though he also realized that the vocalist was correct on some level. "Oh come on! You can't tell me there's honestly no way to solve this problem?" Wait… Maybe… "Why don't you stay with someone else?"  
  
"I can't. Hiro's having Ayaka over. Sakano's niece is getting married this week. Noriko and Ryuichi have a concert overseas. My parents keep nagging me about grandchildren and K… No." Suguru tapped his foot impatiently, hating the idea of not being able to solve the problem, even if it was Shuichi's. There has to be… No, do I have to?  
  
"Well, I suppose I could stay with you for the weekend… I mean, I'd invite you over to my house, but it's a little out of the way." Besides, whenever I go home, my parents are always bugging me about not having a girlfriend.  
  
"Really! Thank you so very much Fujisaki!" Shuichi clasped the younger boy's hands and began jumping up and down. What have I gotten myself into?

* * *

The moment he got home, Taki was prepared to kick back and relax. Ryuichi was probably on a plane by now to London, so with the exception of his upcoming concert, he had the weekend all to himself. The thought also made him a little sad though. What was he supposed to do without his daily dose of annoying superstar?  
  
Still, during break and before leaving work, he and Ryuichi had made sure to satisfy any 'needs' they had. Taki chuckled to himself as he relieved the memory. It still surprised him that Ryuichi was such a lusty little devil. It was disturbingly cute.  
  
"Damn, right now I've got it made. Rising career, and a cute boyfriend. Now if only Shindou would take an unfortunate dive off stage." As he said this, he heard noise.  
  
"Well, that's one check against you." Came an unfamiliar voice, which had an accent. He turned around to see a very tall, American man with long, blonde hair. He had a pencil and notebook in hand.  
  
"What the hell!" Taki jumped off the couch and was about to run, when the strange man pulled a gun.  
  
"I'm afraid there will be no running away tonight, Mr. Taki Aizawa." The guy had a smug look on his face. Taki gulped, his skin was beginning to perspire.  
  
"Aren't you Bad Luck's manager?" NG Studios shook often enough from K's little riots that he was well known as a hazard to all employees.  
  
"That is correct. As for why I am here, let's just say we need to put you to the test."  
  
"What test?"  
  
"To see if you are right for the most wonderful Ryuichi!"

* * *

"Since when did you start having sleepovers, brat?" Yuki growled as he looked at Shuichi and Suguru. Suguru had a suit case with him and was looking a little nervous.  
  
"It's not a sleepover! He's just staying here until his house is done being fumigated." Shuichi recited the cover story perfectly. It definitely wouldn't be good if Yuki knew the real reason.  
  
"Hmm." Yuki glared at Suguru, who was doing his best to look innocent. Yuki didn't trust the act for a second. Any relative of Tohma's was nothing but trouble.  
  
"Shuichi thinks there's a ghost in the house. He was too scared to be alone. So he wanted me to come over." Suguru looked at Shuichi smugly. Shuichi growled, angered what was being said. That's not in the plan! And I'm not a coward!  
  
"Why would you be so nice?" Yuki was even more suspicious now. There was no way Suguru was that friendly with Shuichi. From what he had heard both from Shuichi and Tohma, the two had a competitive work relationship at best.  
  
"Because, this way I'll finally shut him up." Suguru crossed his arms for effect. "Honestly, he's getting no work done at all. Imagine how that makes me look."  
  
Yuki knew he could very well keep at it until he caught them in a lie, but he didn't really care anymore. It was getting late and he had to catch his train. "Fine. I'll see you two later. And don't let him cook." Yuki pointed to Shuichi as he exited the house.  
  
Shuichi turned to Suguru, looking rabid. "That wasn't the story!"  
  
"I lied when I told you what the cover story was going to be." The younger boy had a smirk on his face.  
  
"Why would you do that?" Damn it! He's already pissing me off!  
  
"Do you honestly believe Yuki's that stupid? Why would I stay here when I could just stay with Tohma? Or even another relative or one of my friends from school?"  
  
"That still doesn't explain why you told me a fake cover story!"  
  
"I wanted to make you look stupid." Suguru chuckled. Shuichi twitched. Why you little…  
  
"Come on, let's have some popcorn."

* * *

To Be Continued…  
K tortures poor Taki. Suguru tries to help Shuichi fight the advances of Tatsuha, not that Shuichi tries to help…and Yuki finds out about Tatsuha's newest crush.  
  
Whew…now I've added poor Suggy to the mix…I wonder how this will go? It should be noted that for K and Suguru's characters, I only have the fifth volume of the manga to go by. So, well…that's that.  
  
Who should win Shuichi? And what do I do with the loser? Decisions,


	16. A gun to the head, A decision to make

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi.  
  
Summary: Taki's undergoing a grueling interrogation courtesy of K. Tatsuha's hot and heavy and Shuichi's even more confused then before. And poor Suguru gets no part of the action whatsoever.  
  
a character's thoughts.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 16  
  
"That's a lot of alcohol in the refrigerator." K said as he put a mark on his list. "Mind if I have some?" Taki nodded his head slowly, as if the slightest movement would set the gun off.  
  
"Thanks." The blonde popped open a can and chugged it down. "Whew! That really hits the spot. Now onto business." He slammed the can down and pointed his gun at the frightened young man, as he gestured towards a chair. "Sit down."  
  
Taki couldn't quite move though because of the gun pointing at his head. K fired a shot that whizzed by his head, causing Taki to give a little squeak. "SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!" Shouted the scary man. Taki did as he was told, feeling like he was about to faint anyways. "That's much better." K smirked as he walked over to the vocalist.  
  
"At least you can take orders, unlike some of the morons around here." The blonde leaned in, until he was just a breath away from Taki. "Now, as I was saying before, we need to have a little chat."  
  
Taki gulped. I am so dead.

* * *

"Come on Suguru-kun, let's watch this one!" Shuichi said enthusiastically as he popped an action movie into the vcr. Suguru didn't feel like disagreeing with choice of watching mindless piece of drivel or with the fact that Shuichi was acting very familiar. They were both wearing pajamas and had a bowl of popcorn set out. It had already become like a girl's sleep over.  
  
I've let myself slip this far, might as well take the full plunge. Beside, I really should get to know him better. That and if it would shut the guy's whiney pie-hole, then Suguru could spend a million evenings with Shuichi Shindou.  
  
They both stared intently at the screen which was getting filled with bullet shots. It was basically a bad rendition of a die hard movie that through the power of violence managed to hold the viewer's attention. It was only after the doorbell rang for the fifth time that one of them came back to reality.  
  
"Fine, I'll get it." Suguru muttered as he walked to the door. "Yes?" Suguru was surprised to see a young man fly through the door  
  
"Shuichi, my love!" Tatsuha cried as he lunged at Suguru. Suguru stepped out of the way, just barely, escaping the tackle. Tatsuha found himself eating carpet instead of holding a nice, warm body.  
  
"Shuichi?" Tatsuha got up and looked at Suguru. "You're not Shuichi." Damn, this midget sure seems familer though?  
  
"Duh. I'm Suguru Fujisaki. And you're Tatsuha, right?" The boy had to admit, the guy really did look like Yuki. Even the pictures didn't do him justice. It was actually a little creepy.  
  
"Tatsuha!" Shuichi jumped off the couch as if to run, but got paralyzed and couldn't move.  
  
"I told you I'd be back. How about we discuss things… in private." The dark haired teen added as he looked at Suguru, wishing the boy would go away and stop ruining the moment.  
  
"No!" Screamed Shuichi as he glomped onto Suguru. "He can't leave!!" Seeing Tatsuha looking at him intently, Shuichi struggled with an answer. "He, he's-" A light bulb went on in Shuichi's head. "He's the perfect target for those sick, night-prowling perverts!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Tatsuha and Suguru both sweat dropped, for different reasons.  
  
There goes my reputation… Suguru sighed to himself, suddenly realizing that this 'sleep over' had been a bad idea.

* * *

"Now according to my file here…" K was flipping through some papers he had brought with. "You just barely passed your entrance exams for Mitsurabi High School. A school with one of the easiest entrance exams in the province."  
  
"That wasn't a good time for me. That teacher was out to get me, I swear." I can't believe we're going over my exams. I want to forget that those ever happened. Suddenly the pen was out and writing on the pad of paper.  
  
"Blames his problems on others…" K mumbled as he wrote something down. Taki felt a twitch form.  
  
"Well, be that as it may… Moving on. According to your records from Mitsurabi, you were a below average student, who just barely graduated. You were in no clubs or activities. And you had a very poor attendance record."  
  
"Come on. It was just school. Nothing I was going to need." Sure, he only looks at high school, when I stopped giving a damn… K mumbled something, jotting down another note.  
  
"Then there was the issue of college. According to this, you completely blew off studying for the entrance exams."  
  
"Hey, there were more important things in my life…" The American gave him a stern look and pointed his gun to Taki's forehead, causing the man to gulp.  
  
"An education, not important..?" He said this slowly, a dangerous tone to his voice. "Day by day, this world is filled with useless delinquents, the poor and the homeless. People who are too weak to defend themselves, because they lack an education… How dare you mock the value of an education! An education is one of the building blocks of good citizens everywhere!"  
  
"I'm so sorry!" Taki's eyes were clenched. I'm too young to die! Slowly K drew the gun back.  
  
"I will forgive you for that lapse… After all, one shouldn't be judged on his past mistakes." Taki opened his eyes in disbelief. Could I be saved? K's smirk quickly squashed that notion.  
  
"But, present mistakes are an entirely different matter!"

* * *

Tatsuha kept frowning at Suguru, who maintained a neutral glance as he stood between the two. "Well, one of us has to leave." Suguru knew he had to be firm.  
  
"It's not me." Growled Tatsuha. Stupid brat, spoiling my fun.  
  
"Well, Shuichi can't leave either. It's where he lives." The green haired boy was giving off an icy vibe, which was frightening Shuichi, but wasn't having any affect on Tatsuha.

"It's you who will be leaving." Sneered the dark haired teenager, as he glared at Suguru.  
  
"Uh, no. That's not how it works. You weren't invited here in the first place. Shuichi doesn't want you here, so leave." Tatsuha's jaw dropped in disbelief. I can't believe this brat! Who does he think he is?  
  
"I want Tatsuha to stay." Whispered Shuichi. Now it was time for both Tatsuha and Suguru to be shocked.  
  
"But, Shuichi-" Suguru was about to protest until he say the looks on the other two's faces. Tatsuha's triumph and Shuichi's… Desire. I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to. "Fine. I see how it is." Suguru muttered. He went to change his clothes. Coming back into the living room with his belongings, he gave the both of them a dirty look. "I hope you're both happy."  
  
He slammed the door and then pulled out his cell phone. "Now what was that number again?"

* * *

Eiri Yuki was not a happy man. His train had been delayed by a small power outage. Thus, he had been stuck waiting for two hours. He thought about going home, but it was a little too far away, not to mention that the idiot was having over a friend. Who just happened to be the cousin of the intolerably pleasant Tohma.  
  
His phone rang, playing an annoyingly upbeat tune, which had probably been chosen by Shuichi. He made a mental note to change it to a less annoying tune when he had the chance.  
  
"Hello? What do you want? If you're going to complain to me about Shuichi, then you can just hang up… What about my brother? So, what? He always comes onto Shuichi. Love… Are you serious? What do you mean the idiot's… I'll be right there." He muttered as he hurried off to hail a taxi.

* * *

"Eh, so what was it you wanted to talk about?" Shuichi had moved so that the couch was between him and Tatsuha.  
  
"What do you think I want to talk about? Us." He was looking at Shuichi like a wolf on the prowl and it was obvious that no couch on earth would stop him.  
  
"Us? There is no us." At least I think there isn't…  
  
"Why do I still think you're lying?"  
  
"Maybe because you're a deluded manic." Tatsuha was suddenly leaning over the couch and was way too close to Shuichi.  
  
"Well, I think you have a thing for maniacs. Otherwise you wouldn't like my brother." He pulled Shuichi forward and kissed him. Shuichi sighed as he closed his eyes. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just don't want to fight you right now.

* * *

"And this last woman, Hikari Minase claims that you cheated on her at least three times." K reading this information off of a rather long document which he had somehow filled with comments from every woman Taki had ever been with.  
  
"In all fairness, she cheated first." Taki muttered, arms crossed. He was no longer scared of the crazy American. Well, that was a lie. But, Taki was getting angry now and thus he was a little more talkative.  
  
"Hmm, yes. Her record does indicate a certain looseness." Muttered K as he jotted something down.  
  
"What are you writing anyways?" K turned slowly, a scary look in his eyes.  
  
"Why, my pro and con list."  
  
"Your what?" The blonde shook his head in exasperation as if his meaning should have been perfectly clear.  
  
"Pro and con list. A list of all your good and bad points. Once completed, I will weigh the two sides together. Depending on which side has more weight, I will either leave things as they are, or…" He cocked his gun at Taki. "I'll make sure you never bother him again."  
  
"You mean I have no say in this? And what's it to you?" This is pissing me off.  
  
"Say! You've had plenty of 'say' already. And as for why I should care, well let's just say, he is a precious thing I have guarded for many years. And I will not give him up that easily."  
  
Precious… What does he mean by that? The phone was ringing. Taki got up as if to get it, when he heard the pull of the trigger. "How about I get that?" Taki nodded, sitting back down. "Hello? Ryuichi?"

* * *

Ryuichi reclined back in his airplane seat, surprise written all over his face. "K? What are you doing at Taki's?"  
  
"Why, uh… I just wanted to meet him. Get to know him better." Came the American's voice, sounding a little strained.  
  
"Really? So what do you think of him?" I hope K likes him. Next to Shuichi, Tohma and Noriko, K was one of Ryuichi's favorite people in the world. Not to mention Ryuichi's former manager/bodyguard. Ryuichi had always valued the American's opinion.  
  
"I just have this to say-" At that moment Tohma, who had been sitting next to Ryuichi, grabbed the phone.  
  
"Tohma! I was talking to K." Whimpered Ryuichi, surprised by his friend's rudeness."That is the problem. Did it occur to you that he's over there because he's 'interviewing' Aizawa? The way he's 'interviewed' all your other lovers?" A light of comprehension dawned on Ryuichi's face.  
  
"Oh no, not that! He can't do that to Taki!" He screamed, causing passengers to wake and look their way in irritation. Noriko, who had been sleeping in the seat next to Tohma, looked at Ryuichi, an ugly glare showing.  
  
"Don't you know what time it is?" Tohma patted her on the shoulder reasssuringly.  
  
"Just go to sleep. I'll take care of it." Noriko snuggled down into the seat with a huff. Tohma picked up the receiver again. "K, what are you doing over there?"  
  
"Seguchi, I was just investigating this man, to make sure he was fit for Ryuichi. And I found-"  
  
"I don't care." Before K could protest, Tohma cut him off again. "K, Ryuichi is thirty- one years old. He is mature enough to make his own decisions."  
  
"But, Sir-"  
  
"You know he is. K, you are not his manager anymore. And you are not his brother or his father." You could hear a strangled sound coming from K. "Now, I'm going to hand the phone over to Ryuichi, alright K?" Tohma handed the phone over with a smile. "It's all yours now, Ryu."  
  
"Okay…" Ryuichi was so confused by what had happened. "K, is Taki there? And in one piece?" He hoped K hadn't done anything bad to Taki. Or else he'd have to lose another friend. On top of losing Tatsuha and almost losing Shuichi.  
  
"Uh, Ryuichi?" When he heard Taki's voice, Ryuichi breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Oh Taki! Thank God! I was so worried. Are you okay? Did K hurt you? I'm really sorry. He's normally not like that! In fact, once you get to know him, he's a really nice person!"  
  
"I'm fine. Scared shitless, but fine. Nice person, huh? I think you and I have a different definition of what's nice." Ryuichi felt a small smile form. If Taki was being sarcastic and cracking jokes like this, then he really was alright.  
  
"I am so relieved. You're not mad are you?"  
  
"At you, no. At him, yes. But, that aside, why did you call me?"  
  
"I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice."  
  
"Oh… Well, I guess that's okay."  
  
"I don't want to keep you up, so I'm hanging up now. Bye! Have fun with K!" Ryuichi shut the phone off, not hearing Taki's cry of protest.

* * *

Taki put down the phone slowly and turned to face his 'guest.' "Well, now…"  
  
"Goodbye, Mr. Aizawa." K was heading towards the door.  
  
"Eh?" The vocalist wasn't sure what to think.  
  
"I'll leave things up to Ryuichi, for now. But, if I ever find out that you have hurt him in any way… You'll pay." The blonde said as he slammed the door behind him. Taki's shoulders sagged in relief.  
  
"In hindsight, there are times when I think this was all a mistake. But, now from the looks of it, my choices are Ryuichi or death…" Who am I kidding? It could be Ryuichi or a million dollars and I'd still be stuck with the man-child.

* * *

When Shuichi came to his senses, Tatsuha had managed to pull the shorter boy's shirt off and was in the process of removing his pants. "Tatsuha!" He yelled as he pushed away the teenager, who was still fully dressed. How the hell did he do that without me noticing?  
  
"What? You were enjoying it!" He yelled, tired of being denied. Plus, Shuichi looked really, really good without his shirt on.  
  
"Listen. I realize that certain feelings have arisen in the past few weeks. But," Shuichi was trying really hard to sound serious, even though his face was flushed and he was panting. "But, we should back down for a minute and think about this carefully."  
  
"What's there to think about? I want to do it, you want to do it, so let's do it." Shuichi groaned inwardly as he remembered that logic didn't always work on Tatsuha.  
  
"It's not that simple. Listen, I realize that you are at that stage where you have certain _feelings_. I'm not saying those feelings are wrong." Yeah, that sounds good. "But, sometimes, a person can mistake a physical attraction for something more."  
  
"What about you, Mr. High and Mighty? You weren't making a 'mistake' a few minutes ago, were you?" Tatsuha had his patented smirk on.  
  
"No. That was just… I just, I , I… I have issues, okay!" Shit, how am I supposed to convince him to drop this when I can't convince myself? He felt Tatsuha pull him closer.  
  
"Just give in, damn it. It won't kill you." He could feel Tatsuha's frustration. And it wasn't doing much for Shuichi's thought process.  
  
"Yes, it will. Or, at least I'll be without a place to stay." Yuki wouldn't stand for me and Tatsuha having an affair… Not at all.  
  
"Just stay with me. Or wait, the old man hates you… I'll get a place. Or even better, you can pay for an apartment. You are rolling in the money now…" Tatsuha was musing, slowly planning out their future.  
  
"Tatsuha! Keep focused! You know I can't just leave Yuki. He's the one I love…" At least, I think so.

* * *

Suguru had been sitting out on the stairs all this time, listening to what was going on in the house. "Those idiots." He was pissed that he had been thrown out like that. After I went to all that trouble for him and he just shoos me out. All because his precious Tatsuha is here.  
  
The worst thing was, Suguru felt jealous. Shuichi had two incredibly handsome men in his life, while Suguru had nothing. No girlfriend, no boyfriend. It wasn't like he was getting any casual sex either. I hope Yuki dumps his sorry ass and that asshole Tatsuha leaves him after a month… It serves him right.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a car screech to a stop. Looking up, he saw a pissed off Eiri Yuki coming his way. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Tatsuha and Yuki have it out over Shuichi. Who will he choose? Plus, we have Taki trying to decide what Ryuichi really means for him and if it's enough for him to continue seeing the celebrity. And what of Suguru? 


	17. Chapter 17

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi.   
  
Summary: The big scene everyone's been waiting for…Yuki, Tatsuha and Shuichi in the same room. The end of a relationship and the beginning of another…  
  
[ ] a character's thoughts.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters

* * *

Inspired  
  
Chapter 17  
  
Suguru shuddered as he saw Yuki rushing up the steps, looking homicidal. The boy was really regretting this. The blonde stopped in front of him abruptly. "Are they in there?"  
  
"Y-yes." Suguru gulped as the blonde stormed past him and into the house. [This was a big mistake, a really big mistake.]

* * *

"Shuichi, do you honestly think this relationship is healthy?" Seeing Shuichi turn his head away gave Tatsuha a little more confidence. "I mean, he's always yelling at you and he never has enough time for you. You work so hard on this relationship and he does nothing. I've seen you worried sick over him and the best he can do is call you a brat or a twit."  
  
"How can you say that about him? He's your brother. He has a lot of wounds that need healing. It's okay if he yells. I don't mind. Really, I don't." Shuichi whimpered. [Though, I wish he'd show some appreciation once in a while.]   
  
The younger teen wrapped his arms around Shuichi once again, this time a little tighter. "Just admit it. You're not happy. You don't want to be with him anymore. It's okay to end a relationship if you aren't happy."   
  
"Tatsuha…I, it's not that. I mean, right now it's not perfect, but I can't forget those good times." He felt himself weakening against Tatsuha's grip, even as he kept trying to deny what was going on. "It's just that, I'm starting to feel, a little indifferent…" The older boy could feel Tatsuha's grip suddenly slacken. "Tatsuha?"  
  
"Eiri?" He was looking behind Shuichi, at his rather speechless and enraged brother. Shuichi turned around slowly and gulped.  
  
"What the hell are you two..?" Not only did he sound pissed, but Yuki seemed to be confused as well, which was guaranteed to piss him off even more. It didn't really help that Shuichi was shirtless either.  
  
"Yuki, I, we, uh-" He was cut off by Tatsuha who stepped in front of him.  
  
"Eiri, we aren't going to deceive you. I have feelings for him and he has feelings for me." Yuki got this look on his face as if all hell had just frozen over. Suddenly he grabbed Tatsuha by his shirt collar and hauled the dark-haired boy upwards.  
  
"You little shit! I think all that screwing around finally damaged something in your already sick little head." Tatsuha looked Yuki in the eyes, defiant and unfazed.  
  
"Screw you Eiri. Just because you chose not to have a life doesn't mean me and Shuichi can't." A loud smack sound echoed throughout the house as Yuki's palm came into contact with Tatsuha's face.  
  
"Stop it!" Screamed Shuichi, tears streaming down his face. "Just stop it you two." Yuki dropped Tatsuha, causing him to stumble. Then the blonde walked over to the crying boy and tilted his face upwards.  
  
"Tell me. Are you really in love with him?"  
  
"I don't know…" He knew it looked bad, really bad. [He comes in and finds us in each others arms. And I'm half-naked…I'm in so deep…]  
  
"Liar." Yuki let his face drop. "What did you mean by feeling indifferent?" Shuichi quieted, realizing what he meant, but afraid to say it. "What did you mean?" Malice filled those words this time. Shuichi suddenly felt a twinge of anger and his head snapped up.  
  
"What I meant is that I'm tired of making the effort. I'm tired of working so hard to make you happy. And when I'm not trying to make you happy, I'm trying to keep you from getting angry. It's like walking on eggshells. And you never make an effort to do anything." Yuki stiffened, then started laughing.  
  
"Effort? You want to talk about making an effort? I make an effort everyday just to tolerate your obnoxiousness. You think I asked for you to enter my life? Oh no, you did that all on your own. Trust me, it was an effort to take you in stride." Yuki shook his head in disbelief. "I went to see your crappy singing twice. I indulged your selfish desire to move in with me. I've endured all your little attention getting schemes when I could have been writing. Don't you dare talk to me about making an effort or being indifferent."   
  
They glared at each other, suddenly feeling all the resentment they had never been willing to discuss or resolve. "So what you're saying is you don't want me here?"  
  
"You're the one who doesn't want to be here. How about you leave right now?" Shuichi's eyes widened for a second, then they hardened.   
  
"Fine, I will." He stormed off, grabbing his shirt while he was at it, heading towards the bedroom to get his things. Tatsuha and Yuki gave each other cold glances. The writer sat down on the sofa and lit a cigarette. He frowned when he realized he had grabbed Tatsuha's pack. Sneering, he tossed it over to the boy, who caught it.  
  
"Well, I hope you're happy." He muttered as he searched for his own cigarettes.   
  
"Shut up, you bastard." Tatsuha muttered as he lit up a stick. He had just gotten what he wanted, but he did feel a little bad right now. [Damn it anyways. It's for their own good. They just made each other miserable. And yet, I feel like I'm the villain here.]

* * *

Suguru leaned against the doorway, feeling like he was going to cry. [I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm such a screw up.] At that moment the door opened and Suguru fell backwards, he looked up to see a very annoyed Shuichi followed by a pissed off Tatsuha. Shuichi looked down at the green-haired boy as if he was a bug. Suguru scooted out of the way and watched as the two walked out the door..  
  
"And I'll be back tomorrow for the rest of my crap!" Shuichi shouted as he slammed the door. "Come on, let's go. I assume you rode your motorcycle here?" The pink-haired boy looked at Tatsuha who nodded as they started down the stairs.  
  
"Eh, Shuichi-" Suguru tried to say something only to be shot the most venom-filled, hateful look he had ever received in his life. The green-haired boy backed off and watched the two continue down the stairs. Moments later he heard an engine being revved and saw a motorcycle go off.  
  
"Why me?" He buried his head in his arms as he sat down once more. [I have no ride. I'm stuck out in the cold. And if I call Tohma, he might come here and if he finds out about Yuki…I'm so stupid…] He whimpered, feeling even lonelier than before.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Shuichi yelled, hoping Tatsuha could hear him.  
  
"Don't yell. I can hear you just fine." Tatsuha said was he speed through the empty streets. "I have a key to one of Mika's apartments in this area. We'll go there for now." Shuichi decided not ask why Mika would have an apartment in this neighborhood or why Tatsuha would have the key. He just wanted to go somewhere safe and quiet and forget that the whole night had ever happened.  
  
When they came to the apartment, he was surprised to see how normal it looked. He would've thought it would be more glamorous, as befitting the wife of Tohma Seguchi. Instead, it was a normal, three bedroom apartment. He dropped his bag on the floor and nearly dropped himself next, only to have Tatsuha catch him. "Not until we hit the sack." As Tatsuha dragged Shuichi towards one of the bedrooms, it occurred to him that it might not be such a good idea to be alone with one of the horniest human beings he had ever met. Tatsuha begin to remove his clothes confirmed that suspicion.  
  
"Tatsuha…I think we…" Shuichi moaned as he felt the other's lips on his neck.  
  
"No. We're not stopping this time." Tatsuha's hand going down the pink-haired boy's pants seemed to drive that point home.   
  
"No, that's not what I meant." Shuichi whimpered when Tatsuha stopped the contact.  
  
"What do you mean then?" The dark haired boy really didn't want to be teased anymore. It was understandable that he was beginning to become a little paranoid.  
  
"I want you to realize," Shuichi wrapped his arms around Tatsuha's neck, "that after this, we're going to be stuck together, whether you like it or not. I'll make sure of that. So you better not change your mind about wanting to be with me." He ran his tongue across the dark-haired boy's jaw, causing him to shudder. [This may be wrong, but I don't care anymore.]  
  
"Don't worry. I'll make sure neither of us regrets this."

* * *

Suguru shivered as he leaned against the door. It was past midnight and he was getting cold. "Stupid, stupid Shuichi." He whimpered to himself. [Stupid, stupid me.] And once again, as luck would have it, the door opened, causing the teenage boy to fall backwards. He looked up to see Eiri Yuki looking down on him.  
  
"You're still here? Why don't you just go home?" Suguru just stared at him blankly. Yuki got an annoyed look on his face and turned as if to shut the door. Instead he stopped and sighed in disgust. "What are you waiting for? Get inside." Suguru lay there, a vacant look still gracing his features. "Oh, geez." The blonde growled as he grabbed Suguru by the hand and pulled him upwards. The boy stumbled, coming back to his senses.  
  
"Uh, Yuki, I…" He stuttered, not sure what to do.  
  
"Get in, now." Yuki's sharp tone got Suguru moving. Yuki slammed the door shut once the smaller boy was inside. "You can stay here tonight, but tomorrow you're going home or wherever it is you go. You can just take the couch." Yuki stalked off towards his office. It took a few minutes before Suguru decided it was okay to actually sit down.  
  
Kicking off his shoes, he laid down, as if to sleep. But, it became obvious that it was a lost cause. He woke up and glanced at Yuki's office, surprised to see a light on. He timidly peeked through the open door to see Yuki typing at a computer. [Does he know how late it is?] Suguru was about to back away, only to be caught.  
  
"Sheesh, if it isn't one brat bothering me, it's another." He muttered, rubbing his temples for a moment. "What do you want?"  
  
"Well, isn't it a bit late to be working?" He felt nervous, as he had never been alone with the man before, let alone when he was in a bad mood.  
  
"I'm not making it anywhere tonight. So I might as well get some work done."  
  
"But, I mean, that can't be good for your health. Shouldn't you get some sleep instead?"  
  
"You're just like him, you know that?" Suguru blinked at the statement.  
  
"Like who?" A harsh laugh filled the air.  
  
"Your stupid cousin. Always acting like you care so much when all you care about is yourself." The boy flinched at the tone.  
  
"I'm not like that. I was just concerned, that's all." He whispered, feeling a little nervous.  
  
"Sure you are. Tell me, why did you really call? It wasn't for my welfare, was it? And it wasn't for Shuichi's sake or my brother's. You did it all for yourself." Yuki looked at Suguru sharply, daring him to disagree.  
  
"I didn't mean for it to turn out this way. I really didn't." Suguru looked down at his shoes, hoping the blonde would stop looking at him, stop dissecting him. [Just stop it, please.]  
  
"What you really mean is that you didn't mean for it to turn out this badly." Yuki got up and walked over to the boy, looking at him calmly. "You had some angle though, and wanted something to happen. You just didn't stop to think about the consequences." He was only a foot away from Suguru, who still refused to look up.  
  
"Okay, you're right! I'm selfish, alright!" The boy shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I just wanted to, to…I don't know what I wanted! I just know that I don't want to be alone anymore." He whimpered, his throat constricting. Feeling a hand on his head, Suguru looked up.  
  
"So much like him, yet so different. Good night kid." Yuki said as he shuffled out of the room. Suguru stood there, trying to wipe his tears away. [What did he mean by that?]

* * *

Taki lay on his bed, spread out, unable to sleep. He had pre-concert jitters and that damn gun maniac had only aggravated the problem. He felt an involuntary shudder travel through his body as he thought about the gun that had been pointed at his head for most of the evening.  
  
But, it wasn't just the fear of death that was aggravating his problem. The bastard had managed to worm out all of his self-doubts and fears and now they wouldn't leave him alone. [Ryuichi, why do you want me? It makes no sense. I sure as hell wouldn't want me. I'm just another pretty face who just happens to sing. And not as well as you. And I'm a horrible, horrible person. I just know it. I'm unpleasant, uptight and I'm such a prick sometimes. And as much as I don't want to be, I'm too dependent as well.]  
  
His dependence was frightening in and of it's self. Because, he was already beginning to depend on Ryuichi more than he wanted to admit. [If I didn't feel this need for you, then I wouldn't be so scared.]

* * *

That morning when Shuichi woke up and found himself alone, he nearly had a panic attack. He was very relieved when he found Tatsuha in the living room watching tv. The younger boy gave him a mischievous grin.  
  
"What, thought I was going to leave you? You don't need to be so paranoid. I'm not kind that sleeps and leaves. Well, maybe I am, but for you, I'll be different." Shuichi sat down next to him and stared at the boy for a few seconds. "What?"  
  
"I still can't believe last night happened. It's like I dreamed it all up." Tatsuha looked at him blankly before quickly kissing him.  
  
"That doesn't feel made up, does it?" Shuichi frowned and shook his head.  
  
"Tatsuha, we need to…I don't know what, but we need to do something…Stop that!" He yelled as the younger boy began to snuggle up against him. "We need to figure out what we're going to do!"  
  
"Oh come on. It'll all work out. We'll just stay here until we find a place and then we move in there. You continue your career, I'll find a job. Yep, it's all coming together…" Tatsuha had a satisfied look as he reclined backwards.  
  
"Tatsuha." Shuichi had a stern look on his face, but really couldn't argue with any of his points. [Damn it, I'm supposed to be the voice of reason here! After all, I'm older. Why does he have to be the confidant one?] "Well, than I suppose you want to help me get the rest of my stuff from Yuki's?" He smirked at the younger boy's look of dread. [I guess he does know fear.]

* * *

"Uh, you really don't have to take me to Tohma's." Stammered Suguru as he got into Yuki's car.  
  
"I'm not doing it for you. I don't want to be there when he comes back." Yuki was driving full-throttle, displaying skills that would be the envy of NASCAR. After a few minutes, Suguru decided to break the tension by starting a conversation.  
  
"So, that book you were writing, what was it about?"  
  
"It's a romance novel. I'm sure both Tohma and the brat have told you what I do for a living." Suguru gulped, but refused to be deterred.  
  
"Well, what kind of romance novel?" He saw Yuki give him a glance, then sigh.  
  
"I make it a principal not to tell anyone about my novels until they're completed."  
  
"Oh." It was silent for a few minutes.  
  
"But, it's in the same vein as my other works." Suguru nodded, though he was even more confused. [What is that supposed to mean?]  
  
That morning, the Seguchi home was full of pandemonium. Yuki dropping off Suguru was not a normal occurrence for one thing. But, things became really odd when Mika started ranting about a call she had gotten from Tatsuha. Apparently he had taken residence in one of her apartments and planned on staying there until such time as he and Shuichi were ready to move out.   
  
Needless to say, Mika had demeaned an explanation out of Yuki, who had not been very forthcoming. Suguru had taken this opportunity to flee to the guest room. He shut the door, hoping to silence Mika's ranting. After a while the shouting had died down and there was a soft rapping on the door. In came Mika, worn out from yelling at her brother.  
  
"So I take it that those three idiots made your life a living hell last night."  
  
"You have no idea." Suguru was flopped down on the bed, eyes closed.   
  
"Don't worry. Yuki has this way of dragging everyone down." Suguru opened his eyes and glanced at Mika.  
  
"Do you…" He paused to think of what he was going to say. [Do you think that Tohma likes Yuki? Do you think that Yuki's still in love with Shuichi? Do you think Tatsuha and Shuichi belong together?]  
  
"What is it?" Mika looked at him, a little concerned.  
  
"Do you have any of Yuki's books?"

* * *

"Taki, are you going to be alright out there?" Taki turned to look at Ma-kun, who had been giving him worried glances the whole day. The concert was about to start and they had to be in top form.   
  
"Of course I am. I'm perfectly fine. So what if some psychopath held a gun to my head last night and went over every aspect of my personal life? I'm just dandy." He said the last line sarcastically.  
  
"You know we can't cancel this concert."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"I was just saying-"  
  
"I know, now shut up."  
  
"Uh, guys let's just do this." Ken spoke up, causing Ma-kun and Taki to remember why they were there. [That's right. I'm here to perform, to blow their minds, to soak up their adoration.] Taki smirked to himself.  
  
"Come on, let's go rock their pathetic little worlds." Ken and Ma-kun were a little shocked by Taki's sudden turn about. Taki Aizawa in his full out, arrogant, stuck-up snob mode was better then angsty, whiney, snarky Taki any day. But, on the down side, there would be no deflating his out of control ego. Following behind their vocalist, they both whispered to themselves the same line.  
  
"I knew there would be days like this."

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Tatsuha and Shuichi raid Yuki's apartment, and begin to make their relationship more than just sex. Taki's still working out how he feels about Ryuichi. Ryuichi begins to think about making amends with Tatsuha. And Suguru deals with the interesting aftermath of his role in things.  
  
Authors notes (Sorry if these are long, it's just that I need to sort out some things.  
  
1. Yuki and Shu's break up was sudden, wasn't it? The way I see it though, neither of them is very calm or rational to begin with. Yuki dumps Shuichi all the time. But, this is the first time he truly has a good reason. And Shuichi's an emotional pressure cooker, so it fits for him to do something so rash.   
  
2. I know that some people will probably think it was a little too soon for Tats and Shuichi to have sex. But, consider that they have been horny for each other the last week or so. The desires are there. Then there is the fact that Tatsuha has an incredibly high sex drive. This almost makes it a given that it would happen that quickly. Plus, Shuichi just broke up with his boyfriend. This makes him a little more willing to give in.   
  
This is where the real fun of the Tatsuha/Shuichi stuff begins. Their relationship is based on mutual lust. But, it's going to start developing into something more. They are already friends in a sense, so they do have the potential.  
  
4. As for Suguru, what can I say? I don't know what his role in things will be. I might put some Yuki/Suguru in. But, it will be very slight. Age wise and personality wise, it's going to take some work for both of them to get anywhere. 


	18. Chapter 18

Pairings: Ryu/Taki and slight Tatsuha/Shuichi.   
  
Summary: Tatsuha and Shuichi packing, Yuki angsting, Nittle Grasper out on the town and ASK celebrating a concert…  
  
[ ] a character's thoughts.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own gravitation or its characters

* * *

Inspired   
  
Chapter 18  
  
"Come on, hurry up Tatsuha. While he's still gone." Shuichi gestured towards Tatsuha as he unlocked the door and hurried into the house. It had taken until nightfall before they had both mustered enough courage to go on their raid. Plus, they had to convince Shuichi's mom to lend them the family mini-van.  
  
"Keep your blouse on. I'm coming." Tatsuha hissed through his teeth as he followed after Shuichi. The truth was that the younger boy was just a little worried. [Sure his car is gone, but that doesn't mean Yuki isn't. What if he's here, waiting for us? To beat the crap out of me or even kill? Wait, maybe he's planning to kill both me and Shuichi, or all three of us? Maybe in some bizarre, double-murder-suicide?]  
  
"Tatsuha!" Shuichi's voice snapped him back to reality.   
  
"Oh, sorry." [That's right! I have Shuichi and a whole brand-new life before me! A little pain and death is nothing!] "Let's start packing!" The vocalist shook his head at the younger man's hyperness, not wanting to know what Tatsuha had been thinking.

* * *

Yuki sat slumped down in his car, which was parked in a vacant lot. The day had been nothing but: a.) Getting chewed out by his sister, b.) Getting a call from his editor, who hadn't been please with him and c.) Burning his car's precious fuel.  
  
Starting last night though, everything had turned to crap. He had broken up with his lover. An annoying, pink-haired little twerp who thought he could sing. Well, obviously he could…but all those record sales might be due to female hormones instead of actual talent. Regardless, the point was that Eiri Yuki was unexpectedly single again and not necessarily of his own free will.  
  
"It's not my fault." He muttered to no one in particular even though he knew the answer was crap. He had known that something was wrong. The last few months it had been as if they were just going through all the motions. They still had fun, but it just didn't feel right.  
  
At the start of their relationship, as much as he hated to admit it, it had been, well exciting. And he had never thought he could have fun with anyone other than the cheap, trashy sort of entertainment he had with his many girlfriends. Shuichi had been different…as hard as he tried, he just couldn't reduce the boy down to the same level as those girls. Because of that, he had developed a bond, a bond he hadn't wanted, or at least he had thought he didn't.  
  
And now it hurt so much. [My own brother…my own brother and him…why?]

* * *

Shuichi looked at the list in his hand and made another check mark. "Okay…that just leaves the photo albums and some clothes. Tatsuha, are you sure you can manage those boxes?" He looked at the younger man who was staggering under several boxes of Cds.   
  
"Sure, sure. This is nothing." The boy murmured as he wobbled out of the door. Shuichi shrugged with a smile as he searched for all of his clothes. Tatsuha didn't seem to be too keen on staying in Yuki's apartment. [Probably afraid Yuki might come home and clobber him.] Shuichi laughed at that thought.  
  
Before all this had happened, Shuichi would never have put the words "fear" and Tatsuha in the same sentence. It was strange, but it made him seem more human. Unlike Yuki, the dark haired boy didn't seem to feel the need to put up a front and hide his emotions. Not that Yuki's walls always remained intact. They could fall, but only if you caught him off guard. But, that was just frustrating and unfair. [I know I'm doing the right thing here…I just hope I can get over him soon.]

* * *

"What do you mean they broke up? Mika…I hardly think that it's unusual…what do you mean Tatsuha…" Tohma listened to his wife as he leaned against the door to his dressing room. "Oh…well they both must have the same taste in men…" The blonde held the phone away as Mika screamed something at him. "Yes dear, I know, it's not funny…"  
  
At that moment, there came a knocking sound on the door. "Tohma, come on. Are we going or what?" Noriko's voice came loud and clear.  
  
"Yeah, hurry up Tohma or they'll close before we get there! I promised that I'd get souvenirs for everyone!" Ryuichi's voice had a more whiney quality to it.   
  
"Mika…I have to go now…bye-bye." He hung up the phone before Mika could yell at him some more. "Alright guys, I'm coming!" He yelled as he grabbed his coat. [Who would have thought…Shuichi and Tatsuha…]

* * *

Suguru could hear the phone slamming downstairs. [I guess Tohma didn't take the news like he should've.] He glanced down at the book he had been reading. He had known that his cousin's brother-in-law was a famous novelist, but he had never given it any thought before.   
  
Who knew that the man could write something like this? Yuki seemed like the type who would have distained such sentimental romance. The tale of a young woman's doomed love affair with a military man just didn't go with the boy's image of Eiri Yuki.  
  
The prose was beautiful and at times heart wrenching. And god did he feel like a girl for reading it. But, he couldn't put it down either. [I have to find out what happens when she tells him she's carrying his child…]

* * *

Tatsuha sat in the mini-van waiting for Shuichi who was locking the door. The boy was hurrying out the door, clutching several books to his chest.  
  
"Let's go." Shuichi said as he slipped into the passenger seat.  
  
"What are those?"  
  
"Just some photo albums." There was silence again and as he drove, Tatsuha felt another surge of paranoia. [Does he have photo's of him and Yuki in there? Photos of them together?]   
  
"Tatsuha! Stop!" Coming to, the younger man slammed the brakes, coming just short of running a red light. And as the cars started driving across the intersection, it was obvious that they had almost been the latest news spot.  
  
"Uh, Tatsuha, maybe I should drive…"   
  
"NO!" Seeing the pink-haired boy's look, Tatsuha's tone softened. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I can't drive you anywhere?" Shuichi was apparently satisfied with the answer and decided to fiddle with the radio. [Damn, that's right. You have to be responsible here! You have to prove to him you're as good as Yuki…no, even better than Yuki!]  
  
"Ah! I love this song!" He had tuned the radio to a…Nittle Grasper song…  
  
[Of all the things for him to play…Ryuichi…I know I can't have him…but still I…I love Shuichi…but why does my heart ache so much…]

* * *

"Ryu! Slow the hell down!" Screamed Noriko as she reached out to grab the hyper-active man.   
  
"He, he. Noriko can't catch Ryuichi! Not when she's had too much cheese cake!" Noriko screamed at the jab about her weight and chased after Ryuichi with blood lust in her eyes. Tohma merely laughed to himself, secretly amused by the two's antics.  
  
He was a little worried about Yuki. He knew that even if the other man wouldn't admit it, the loss of Shuichi would hurt him. And Tatsuha and Shuichi…the keyboardist didn't see that one coming.  
  
"Hey, let's check out this store!" Ryuichi shouted as he ran into a small thrift store.  
  
"Ryu! Not fair! That's cheating!" Yelled Noriko, knowing that she couldn't chase the vocalist around inside. The last time she had, it had been quite expensive. Tohma hurried in after the two, just to make sure they didn't play tag.  
  
"Ryu…I thought you were done getting presents for everyone?" Tohma said as he looked glanced around .  
  
"Well, yeah…but I keep thinking I'm forgetting someone…" Tohma and Noriko shrugged and began to explore. [Let's see I got stuff for my mom, dad, brother and sister, Taki, Shuichi, K, the rest of Bad Luck…who am I forgetting…] And at that moment, he remembered someone he hadn't thought of in long time. "Tatsuha."

* * *

After the concert, it had seemed like Taki's worries were a thing of the past. He had always been a sucker for flattery, and there was nothing as flattering as the screams of millions of over-sexed teenager girls. He had been feeling fantastic and the show had went off perfectly as well.  
  
He had been on cloud nine. Had been. "Oh, come on…don't you want to go out with us?" Said a scantily-clad young woman who was clinging to his arm. Two of her friends were clinging to a beaming Ma-kun, and a third one was coming onto a rather shy Ken.  
  
"No…" This was one of the most confusing situations he had ever been in. He had never really thought about rejecting an offer just because he was seeing someone else. Not that he was a total scum or anything, it's just that he had been with very few people who he felt he couldn't cheat on.  
  
"But, why not?" She was looking up at him, her red lips pouting. [Not the look…not the look he uses…]  
  
"Yes Tachi, tell us why?" Ma-kun smirked, enjoying the way his friend was twisting in the wind. [Why you little…] The blonde guitarist could be very cruel. Taki jerked his arm free of the woman's grip.  
  
"Well…" He started slowly, unsure of where to go from there. "It's just that….there's someone else." The whole group of girls looked surprised for a moment, then they all started giggling. Ma-kun was smiling even more and even Ken was trying to stifle a laugh. The girl latched onto him again, as if she hadn't heard what Taki had said.  
  
"Oh come on. I'm sure she won't mind if we hang out for awhile." She winked and Taki knew that wink and those lines very well. [What she really means is that she's going to seduce me into bed by the end of the evening…] He rolled his eyes, and was about to make a nasty retort, but he felt Ma-kun elbow him in the back.  
  
"Taki, it's just a few drinks…" And there was yet another wink. [What is he up to?]

* * *

"So, who is that for?" Noriko said as she looked at the newest package that Ryuichi had acquired.  
  
"Eh, Tatsuha." He muttered, not sure why he had gotten the present. [It's just…too weird…but still he was…]   
  
Noriko was giving Tohma a worried glance. The blonde just shrugged, other things on his mind. [I wonder if I should tell Ryu that Tatsuha and Shuichi possibly dating now? No, better not. He might freak out even more.] Tohma didn't want to think about having to straighten out Yuki either. Though he wasn't sure whether that meant convincing the novelist to forget about Shuichi or to try and when the boy back.

* * *

Yuki entered his apartment, feeling hesitant, not that he would ever let anyone know that. Thankfully, it soon became obvious that the two buffoons had been there and were now long gone. It looked a little emptier in there, and maybe a little messy. "Stupid punks, it looks like a damn robbery was committed." He headed towards the kitchen and fished a bottle of whiskey out of a cupboard.  
  
"It's much better without the idiot here. Much quieter. And now I don't have to ever see my stupid, pervert brother again." He took a swallow from the bottle and closed his eyes, feeling his skin heat already. He sat down in a chair and sighed to himself. "Yeah, who needs them? I'm fine all by myself. I can finally get some work done." The atmosphere suddenly seemed even more oppressive. "Yeah…I don't need anyone…"

* * *

"Tatsuha, let's just leave it for now. I'm tired." Shuichi whimpered as he walked into the bedroom. Tatsuha nodded, as he headed towards the fridge.  
  
"Hmm…all that's in here is take-out from this morning. And for lunch we ate at his mom's…" He grimaced as he remembered the lunch which had consisted of him being stared at by three Shindou's who had either been trying to figure out who this new guy was or had thought that Tatsuha was Yuki, but with hair dye, contacts and some medication.  
  
"Damn…I need to get a job. Or else, I'm going to be looking really pathetic compared to Yuki." As much as Tatsuha liked living off the money of others, he knew that wasn't going to cut it. "I guess it's about time I finally take that offer from Mika…" [There goes my care free youth.]

* * *

The music at the bar was crappy and loud. And the company was so annoying. Taki had been stuck listening to this woman yak for an hour. He was getting sleepy and was incredibly pissed. Plus, if he couldn't get laid, there was really no point in being here.  
  
"I think I'm going guys." Taki tried to get up only to find that woman clinging to his arm again.   
  
"Just let me get my coat." She had a seductive quality to her voice that was seriously annoying him. [God, at least try not to act like a slut.]  
  
"I'm going alone. Just go hang onto Ma-kun…" The woman got an angry look on her face and the other women all had surprised looks on their faces. Ma-kun and Ken were just surprised that Taki would suggest a woman go over to Ma-kun.  
  
"What the hell is with you! I've been throwing myself at you the whole night and you still won't go to bed with me?" The woman was screaming at the top of her lungs, drawing unwanted attention. "I've got news for you buster: you may be some celebrity, but you ain't no prize!"  
  
"Listen, you're obviously drunk, so I'll let your delusions of grandeur slide." Taki was trying to keep his tone neutral, but could feel the rage welling within him. [You little bitch…]  
  
Obviously, she wasn't done with her tirade either. "I mean, the way you're acting, you'd think you're queer or something." The three members of ASK were struck dumb and speechless.  
  
"Uh, ya know, when someone says that, you're supposed to either laugh or get really angry…" Said another one of the women, which made the situation look even worse. Taki looked from Ma-kun to Ken hoping for some assistance. But, it seemed that Ken was a little too bewildered and Ma-kun had this look saying, "I can't wait to see how you get out of this one."  
  
After a few minutes, Taki huffed and crossed his arms. "Just because he happens to be a guy, doesn't mean I'm queer. He has a few different parts, that's all. That doesn't mean he's completely defective." There was silence once again, than Ma-kun started snickering. Ken soon followed. The women were just dumbstruck. "What?" He glared at the two, wondering what was wrong with them.  
  
"I-I don't think Ryuichi would appreciate being called defective." Ma-kun managed between laughs.  
  
"Ryuichi? So the rumors are true?" The girl's were now muttering to themselves.  
  
"I'm outta here." Taki stalked out of the bar and kept walking as fast as he could. After about five minutes, he slowed down…thinking about what had been said. [Liking a guy doesn't make me gay…what the hell am I thinking…I just admitted to a group of complete strangers that I'm, well not straight. I'm such a moron…]

* * *

To be continued…  
  
Tatsuha's trying to be the kinda man that can compete with his brother on equal footing. Ryuichi returns and finds himself worrying about a distant Taki and trying to be friends with Tatsuha again. Yuki deals with living alone again and Suguru is praying that his working relationship with Shuichi stays the same.  
  
Relationship wise, I think I'm going to have Suguru and Yuki become friends more than anything else…so don't worry about anything overt. 


	19. Chapter 19

Rating: PG-13: Swearing and Adult Situations.  
  
Pairings: Ryuichi/Taki, Tatsuha/Shuichi and slight Yuki/Suguru.

* * *

Inspired   
  
Chapter 19  
  
Monday morning was disappointing for Tatsuha. He hadn't gotten any from Shuichi on Sunday because the pink-haired boy wanted to unpack. And for some reason unpacking was more time consuming then packing had been. Then this morning, when he had tried to get some, Shuichi had remembered that he had to work and rushed out the door, leaving Tatsuha with nothing but a peck on the cheek. Plus, the feeling that he was now being 'kept.'  
  
He tromped grudgingly towards the phone and stood there, glaring at it. A few months ago, Mika had offered him a job. It was a paid internship at an investment company she owned. Tatsuha had turned it down, as it had nothing to do with being near Ryuichi and he had all the money he needed.  
  
Now it was different though. Not because he had what he hoped was a steady boyfriend and not because the old man would probably cut him off. But, because he now realized that he had very little to offer. Yuki was self-sufficient, fairly dependable and serious. Next to him, Tatsuha was just a spoiled child. He knew that if he didn't change that, Shuichi and him might be through before they even started.  
  
He gulped as he grabbed the phone. Dialing the number, he wished his days of freedom a fond farewell. When he heard Mika's voice on the other end, it took Tatsuha a few minutes before he could speak. "Mika, it's Tatsuha. You know that job you told me about? Well, is it still available?"

* * *

Suguru whimpered as he stood outside the door to Bad Luck's recording studio. He would have ditched, but Tohma was home that morning and seemed to feel that Suguru should face his fears like a man. Easy for him to say. Tohma hadn't just fucked over his vocalist's love life out misguided spite.  
  
He finally went in and was surprised to see Hiro and Shuichi in deep conversation. They looked up at Suguru, causing him to flinch. "Hey, Suguru! Ready to give it your all today?" Shuichi waved at him happily. [What the?]  
  
"Uh, yeah." He sat down at the table, surprised that Shuichi wasn't mad at him.   
  
"Suguru was there too! He can tell you all about it!" The keyboardist was even more confused then before. Hiro was also a little surprised, obviously not believing that two would voluntarily be in the same place outside of work.  
  
"Fujisaki, did Shuichi really dump Yuki and run off with Tatsuha?"  
  
"Uh, yeah." Suguru nodded nervously, wondering when Shuichi was going to get mad. Hiro was shaking his head, not quite knowing what to say.  
  
"I can believe the dumping part, but not the whole running off with the brother part. It sounds like something out of a bad soap opera." The guitarist was used to Shuichi's and Yuki's problems, but wasn't used to the idea of his friend being anything other than Yuki's biggest fan.  
  
"That's because Shuichi Shindou's life is one of epic proportions!" Shouted K as he strode through the door. "Only the greatness of daytime drama can be compared to him!" Hiro and Suguru sweat dropped, while Shuichi only became more fired up.  
  
"Yes and the drama that is my life shall only get juicier!" The vocalist was now raving as he struck a dramatic pose, causing K to show his approval by clapping.  
  
"That guy…" Groaned Hiro as Suguru nodded in agreement. "But, I'm thinking," the guitarist bent down to whisper into Suguru's ear, "That regardless of whether he's destined to stay with Tatsuha or not, he's going to come down off his high horse and realize that he hurt Yuki's feelings. And then, it's a long vacation for Bad Luck." Suguru gulped as Hiro walked off to greet Sakano, who had just entered.   
  
The keyboardist nervously approached Shuichi, deciding to get his apology out of the way. "Um, Shindou…" Suguru nervously tugged on Shuichi's coat.  
  
"Oh come on, it's Shuichi now!" The vocalist said as he turned around, still smiling.  
  
"Yeah." Suguru was really worried about the fact that Shuichi hadn't killed him yet. "Listen, Shuichi, I, I'm really sorry about what happened last night."  
  
"Eh, why would you be sorry?" Shuichi smiled at the confused Suguru, who didn't know what was going on, yet again. "Suguru, that whole incident was a long time coming. If anything, it's better that it happened that way. Otherwise I would have been having an affair on the side."  
  
"But, still… Yuki could have killed you. I feel really bad about it."  
  
"Why are you blaming yourself? It was a freaky coincidence that he came home when he did, that's all."  
  
[Coincidence. That means he doesn't know that I called Yuki.] "Uh, yeah. I guess you're right." [Yes! He doesn't know. I'm saved!]

* * *

"Wee! Free at last, free at last!" Ryuichi giggled as he got out of his car that morning. The idol had parked right outside his boyfriend's apartment, wanting Taki to have his present a little early. He was still a little tired from the trip, but he really wanted to see Taki, even if he was cranky about getting woken up. And Ryuichi was a little horny too. He really needed a little morning pick-me-up.  
  
Running through the door which was not locked, Ryuichi ran through the rooms till he found the bedroom. He stopped and made sure he was quiet before peeking into the room. Taki was curled up under a bunch of blankets and pillows, looking too cute for his own good.  
  
Ryuichi grinned to himself. [Gosh, he's so irresponsible. Doesn't lock the door and now he's sleeping so soundly. Anyone could just sneak up on him and…] He walked over to the bed and gently sat down on the mattress. The slight creaking caused Taki to stir a bit, without waking up. He rolled over so that he was now laying on his back, in a position that was doing wonders for Ryuichi's imagination.  
  
It took every ounce of self control Ryuichi had to not jump the younger man right then and there. Instead, he decided to use his mother's favorite wake up method. Lifting the blankets up, Ryuichi slid under them and scooted over towards Taki's sleeping form. He laid his head on Taki's chest and closed his eyes, waiting for him to wake up.

* * *

Taki didn't know why, but he could feel a sudden weight on top of him. In his sleep fogged mind, he could register the weight as familiar, but he didn't know why it was. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to open. Taki's hand trailed down towards the weight, meeting soft hair. His eyes glanced down, seeing that it was Ryuichi lying there.  
  
[Oh, it's just him…] It was a few minutes before he realized what was wrong with this picture. The younger man jumped out of the bed as fast as he could, nearly crashing to the floor. Ryuichi slowly rose up, looking very alert and very amused. "Good morning, sleepy head."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Taki hissed through, clenched teeth, heart racing a mile a minute. Ryuichi sat up, so that he was on his hands and knees, hoping he looked seductive.  
  
"I got home and wanted to see you. Is that so bad?" The younger man looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel.  
  
"Most people knock or call ahead." At that, Ryuichi sat up, a hand on his hips and a stern look on his face.  
  
"Well, guess what? The door wasn't locked. Anyone could have come in and had their way with you." Taki turned beat red and couldn't come up with a sufficient retort. It was a bad habit of his to never lock up. It took him a few minutes to find his voice.  
  
"That doesn't give you any right to come in here whenever you want!" He was still feeling troubled over what had happened after the concert. He really wanted to sort out these issues and he couldn't do that if Ryuichi was here. Plus, Ryuichi was really working his last nerve.   
  
"What are you talking about? I'm your boyfriend! If I can't enter your home whenever I want, then something's not right!" And suddenly, the last nerve broke.  
  
"What the hell makes you think we're that close? I never said we were. You decided all this on your own. What about me? Don't I get a say in this?" He was shaking all over from rage, fear and even hurt.  
  
"Taki, what's wrong?" Ryuichi was very worried. It wasn't like Taki to break down this easily. Sure, he got angry sometimes, but the younger man was adverse to showing any other sign of weakness.  
  
"What's wrong?" [How dare he even think to ask me that?] "Some crazed American comes and basically tells me I'm not even good enough to lick your boots. It also suddenly occurs to me that I'm not in a position to choose anyone else. Which is crazy, as I don't even know what's going on between us."   
  
Ryuichi looked at Taki, even more confusion setting in. The older man didn't understand the messed up jumble of sentences that were being strung together, but it was obvious that Taki was worked up over something. Or maybe he had just gotten up on the wrong side of bed. "Taki, what do you mean you don't know what's going on between us?"  
  
Taki just shook his head, taking in a breath. "I need sometime away from you. To sort out some things for myself."  
  
"But, we just had two days…"  
  
"Well, I need more then two days." Taki had his back turned towards Ryuichi as he said this, arms crossed. Ryuichi began to sniffle, feeling tears well up in his eyes.   
  
"Why? Why now?" He felt hurt and angry, having heard this story a few too many times before, from too many people.  
  
"I don't want to throw my life or yours away for something that's, that's not a sure thing." The younger man knew it sounded weak, but it was all he could come up with.   
  
"Taki, what are you really afraid of?" Ryuichi's tone was demanding, forcing Taki to turn around and face him. The younger man's expression was somewhere between grief and anger.  
  
"I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid of the way you make me feel, because I don't know how to handle those feelings. And I just, I just need to puzzle this through alright?" Taki felt guilty for yelling at him, but damn it, he needed this.  
  
"Fine. I understand." Ryuichi muttered, his eyes darkening. He walked up to Taki and pressed something into his hand. "When you figure it all out, open this up. I'll be waiting." He then stood on his tiptoes and gave Taki a kiss on the cheek before hurrying out of the apartment.  
  
[This isn't how I wanted it to go, not at all.]

* * *

Yuki growled to himself as he stared at his laptop. He needed to finish the chapter and he had it planned out already. The ending was supposed to lead into the sex scene in the next chapter. But, he couldn't seem to find the right words. Maybe it was because it was too damn quiet.  
  
Normally, quiet at this time of the day wasn't a big deal to him. Shuichi was often gone from the house and the novelist had always considered it the perfect time to work. But, something was nagging him, something that usually didn't nag him.  
  
[He's not coming back this time, is he?]  
  
He didn't like the fact that he was feeling so messed up over this. It was so freaking stupid. The little brat had left him for Tatsuha. That fact alone proved how worthless Shuichi was. Anyone who would choose that disease ridden man-whore over him was beneath Yuki's notice. [He's not worth angsting over.]  
  
He got up after a few more minutes and went to the living room. A quick nap on the couch sounded like a good idea. As he laid down though, it occurred to him that this was the couch the brat slept on sometimes. And he had no idea why it should matter, but for some sick reason, it really did.

* * *

Ryuichi had spent the rest of the morning at home, sobbing into his pillow. He felt like such an idiot. "I knew I shouldn't have left, I just knew it! Or at least," He reached down and pulled Kumagoro out from the coat pocket where he'd been hiding, "You should have stayed. But, no. I had to take you to see Buckingham Palace, yet again. You've already been to London. You've already seen the damn palace!" Ryuichi tossed the bunny towards a nearby chair, and closed his eyes, crying some more.  
  
"And what does he mean, he doesn't know what's going on between us? And he says I'm fickle. He is such a pain sometimes. Stupid separation. I really wanted to see the look on his face when he opened my present." He sat there a few minutes, his sniffles dying down. Then his eyes went wide as he remembered that he had other presents to hand out.  
  
"Yes, that's right. I have more errands to run today." Being busy was the best thing he could do right now. He was relieved as he didn't want to spend the day waiting for Taki to come to his senses.  
  
The day ended for Suguru without incident, thank god. But, the whole time, he was worried that somehow, someway Shuichi would find out the whole truth and then…  
  
Well, needless to say, the green-haired boy didn't want to think about that.  
  
He also didn't want to think about the fact that he had a sudden need to get another Eiri Yuki novel. But, he had read all the ones that Mika and Tohma owned. And according to Mika, there were more of those books out there. That meant a trip to the book store, but for some reason, Suguru had a more outrageous idea.  
  
[Why not get it from the source? I mean after all, I do know him, a little. Why can't I go see him again? It's just to talk about his books, right? Besides, maybe he's lonely.]  
  
It really scared the boy that he was even thinking that, but still, was it so wrong? He was just a young fan who wanted some answers. So what if the man who could answer his question's was the ex-boyfriend of the band's vocalist? That wasn't wrong, was it?

* * *

Shuichi walked into his new, temporary home, waiting for the horny teenager to attack him. He was disappointed and worried when those busy hands didn't go after him.  
  
"Tatsuha, are you here?" He shouted, afraid that he was in one of those horror movies.  
  
"I'm home!" Shouted a voice behind the pink-haired boy. He turned around to see Tatsuha wearing of all things, a suit.  
  
"What's with the-" Before Shuichi could finish the sentence, he found his mouth being ravaged by the teenager's.  
  
"Talk later. Need sex, now." Tatsuha hissed, renewing his attack before the older teen could reply.

* * *

Ryuichi was feeling a little better by the end of the day. He had went home to visit his parents and younger siblings, bearing gifts. It was always nice to have a helping of Mom's oden while catching up on his little brother's latest exploits and his little sister's latest crises. All the while Dad would be holding the newspaper, lowering it to nod in assent or offer some bit of wisdom. It may have been ordinary, but it was home.  
  
He had almost forgotten about Taki until his Mom had queried him on his love life. Apparently that "Nice" Mr. K had talked to them and mentioned a little something about Taki. Mom had been wondering why her special guy (aka Ryuichi) hadn't brought this boy with. Before Ryuichi could magically changed the subject, the siblings had joined in, wanting to know more about this Taki as well. Dad, lowering the newspaper cinched it.  
  
Before he knew it, Ryuichi had ended up making some crappy excuse about bringing Taki along next time. As if there would be a next time. As if Taki would be absolutely thrilled to death to meet them. [Yeah, he'll be thrilled to death. Thrilled enough to kill me.] And suddenly, Ryuichi had ended up laughing his ass off, causing his family to worry about his sanity. More then usual anyways.  
  
The thought of Taki spazzing on him like that had brought a smile to his face that he couldn't get rid of for the rest of the day. So much so that he was now feeling pretty confidant that he wasn't being dumped. [I've known him just long enough. I know how pissy he gets. It's just another fit. Another silly little fit of his. Once he gets over his need for space, it's happy times again!]  
  
He marked off his list that evening, noting that he was down to the people at N-G Studios and, Tatsuha. Ryuichi grimaced as he sat down at the table, thinking about how he was going to do this. [This is just too weird. I mean, he has a crush on me that I can't return. But, still…]  
  
Tatsuha was another good friend of Ryuichi's. Maybe a little weird, but still a good friend. And the pop idol was determined to keep his friends. He didn't want to regret losing anyone.

* * *

Yuki knew he had to be going crazy. He had just hallucinated a Bad Luck song. Or maybe it was sleep deprivation. He knew it had to be a hallucination because he didn't have the radio on, and the few times he did, it definitely wasn't playing anything by Bad Luck. [I can't be, lonely, can I?]  
  
It was stupid, but he suddenly wanted someone there, anyone. But, who did he have? If he called the brat, he'd look like an idiot. And he was too pissed off at his brother. Mika would just piss him off as well and he didn't like the idea of relying on Tohma. Who did he have?  
  
There was a knocking on the door at that moment that punctured the silence. Yuki shook his head in disbelief, not lonely enough to see a fan girl. Or was it Shuichi, begging Yuki to take him back? If it was, he'd slam the door in the brat's face. The novelist walked towards the door, hoping for the chance to terrify some poor civilian.  
  
Needless to say, he was quite disappointed and confused when he saw Suguru Fujisaki there. "What do you want?" The boy looked down as if to pick up a little courage.  
  
"I read some of your books while I was at my cousin's. And well, I had some questions…"  
  
"Go find some magazines. I'm sure you'll find some interviews in there." Yuki moved to close the door, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.  
  
"Please, can't you spare a minute? It's just, that since I know you, it seems rather silly to not take advantage of that." Yuki looked at Suguru, disbelief in his eyes. [He's just like them. Just like the brat and just like Tohma. So damn cocky.]  
  
"Sure, why not?" Seeing the boy's shock, the novelist smirked. "I'm just feeling generous today." Well, if he would just admit it, deep down, the novelist felt relieved that he wasn't going to be alone for the night.

* * *

Shuichi sighed as he laid back on the bed, enjoying the after effects of the fun he had just had with Tatsuha. He propped himself up on his shoulder to look at the younger teen. "So let me get this straight: you got a job. A job in an office." Tatsuha nodded, grabbing another cigarette.  
  
"It was horrible. My boss, is this total loser. I swear he had it in for me. He made me file all these reports and then told me I did it wrong. I had to spend three hours redoing everything. I think he's just pissed that his secretary has the hots for me." The teenager snickered to himself, obviously amused.  
  
Shuichi frowned to himself, not liking the idea of Tatsuha flirting with strange girls. "Tatsuha, why would you want a job anyways?" Tatsuha turned away, trying to hide his embarrassment.  
  
"Well, you know, I need the spending money. Dad's probably going to cut me off any day now. Besides, I thought it would be a good experience."  
  
The corner of Shuichi's eye twitched at what he could tell was a lie. [What are you hiding from me?]

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Next time, Taki's thinking things over, not quite sure if he accepts the truth about him and Ryuichi. Ryuichi and Tatsuha meet up and have a heart to heart, making their boyfriends very, very jealous. Yuki and Suguru bond, neither one knowing why.  
  
Waah, Taki wasn't very nice to Ryuichi, was he? The guy has some issues yet, but hopefully he'll resolve most of them next chapter. 


	20. Not Satisfied, But Accepting

Pairings: Ryu/Taki, Tatsuha/Shuichi and minuscule hint of Yuki/Suguru

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Taki has an inner struggle. Ryuichi talks to Tatsuha, leading to some jealous on the parts of their lovers. And Yuki, well… Read inside.

* * *

Taki knew that he was screwed up. He always had been, on many levels. After all, he was the product of his parents, both of whom were ambitious and sought wealth and status at any cost. His older brother had been the perfect son, just as ambitious and just as skilled. Taki could never measure up to that. Granted, he was intelligent enough, attractive and witty, but unless he put in the effort, he was never like his brother. Never enough for his parents.

Eventually he gave up on pleasing them. Taki only looked out for himself. And maybe Ma-kun and Ken. After that, he also decided to give up on school and he threw himself full heartedly into making ASK a success. His parents and his brother weren't happy with him, but Taki didn't care. After all, he was doing something he actually loved and he had his friends by his side. Plus, people finally acknowledged him.

Taki hadn't realized one thing though. He was still stained by that need to be the best at everything. He still needed that acceptance, that adoration. Even though he was now getting it from his fans, he still feared rejection. Maybe it was because he now knew what it was like to be praised for something you were good at. Maybe it was just in his blood. But, for what ever reason, he desired that.

The fear of not being accepted caused him to scorn any new friends or contacts. Woman became a mere means of physical satisfaction and a way to boost his ego and status. Taki scorned the very idea of any romantic relationships. He had seen what marriage aka commitment could end up like. Two people trapped in a living hell because they couldn't convince themselves to cut and run. He was determined to keep that from happening to him. Until, he met Ryuichi.

Somehow, a complete buffoon had gotten him to lower his barriers. This ditzy idiot had managed to convince Taki that it would be okay to go for it. Well, deep down Ryuichi wasn't ditzy, but that was besides the point. Somehow Ryuichi had gotten Taki to do something incredibly stupid. He'd gotten the younger man to form an attachment. A big one. And that was at the root of Taki's problems right now.

It was clear that his feelings for Ryuichi were more then mere attraction or friendship. After all, he had never thought about any other guys that way and as for friends, he didn't need anymore than what he had. Well, if he really thought about it, he knew he was lying to himself on both accounts. But, that wasn't the point. The point was… [Do I love him?]

Taki had been spending all of yesterday and this morning thinking about it, but couldn't come up with a good answer. Or maybe he was too afraid to admit what the answer was. He couldn't decide, even though the little box in his hand was asking for a decision. Finally, he just decided to head out to work, taking the box with him. Even though a part of him was afraid of running into Ryuichi after yesterday, it wouldn't be so bad to see him either. At least he could apologize for snapping at the older man.

* * *

When Shuichi came into work, he was surprised to be handed a package by Tohma. "Uh, Seguchi-san, it isn't my birthday or anything." The president merely smiled and shook his head.

"No, it's not from me Shindou-san, it's from Ryuichi. He wanted to give it to you himself, but he had an important errand to run." Shuichi tore open the package to find a snow globe.

"Yes! Another one for my Ryuichi snow globe collection!" Shuichi said as he hugged the snow globe tightly. Tohma groaned inwardly, reminded of another fan…

"Oh, Shindou-san, how are things going with Tatsuha?" Shuichi's words of love to his snow globe were silenced and he looked down, blushing.

"Well, they're going great. I'm just hoping that things will settle down soon." Tohma couldn't help but smile to himself. Shuichi really acted like Eiri when he was young sometimes. And speaking of Eiri, Tohma now realized just how out of luck the novelist was. The way the boy was acting about Tatsuha was much like the way he had acted when he was first with Eiri. It caused the president to suddenly feel a little vindictive.

"Well, then, I guess I don't have to worry about Ryuichi visiting him today. I mean if things are going so well-" There was a thunking noise as Shuichi dropped his snow globe.

"Why would he do that?" The pink-haired boy was trying to hide his fear, which increased Tohma's pleasure.

"He wanted to apologize to Tatsuha. He felt really guilty about something that had happened and wanted to…" Tohma trailed off as he saw the boy race out the door. "Hmm. So predictable." He didn't mean any harm to Shindou, he was just upset that Eiri had been hurt like this. It wouldn't hurt Shindou to worry a little.

* * *

The last thing Taki needed as he walked into N-G Studios was to bump into Shuichi Shindou. The collision resulted in them falling into an ungainly heap. Taki wasn't in a state to even yell at the brat and proceeded to untangle himself from Shindou. But, apparently that wasn't fast enough for his rival.

"I don't have time to deal with you, droopy eyes! I have to keep Ryuichi away from Tatsuha!" Taki didn't comprehend what had been said right away, just that Ryuichi's name had been mentioned. After a few minutes though, the rest followed.

"What!?" Taki shouted, grabbing Shuichi by the shoulder and hoisting the boy up. The boy merely squirmed, trying to get Taki to let go so he could keep the unholy and unsafe meeting from happening. Apparently though, the older vocalist had different plans.

"Let me go! I have to stop them! Tatsuha's weak! Who knows what he will do?" Shuichi felt Taki's grip tighten on his shoulder and then felt himself being shook.

"What the hell do you mean? Are you trying to say that Ryuichi's possibly alone with that stupid punk!"

"Yeah! Now let me go! Now!" The teenager suddenly felt the grip on his shoulder loosen. But, before Shuichi could get moving though, Taki grabbed him again, this time by the wrist and began dragging him off. "Damn it! This is kidnapping!"

Shuichi began to kick and scream, but no one seemed to notice. He even struggled when he was dumped into Taki's car. Shuichi was struggling so hard, he didn't even think to make a break for it while the other vocalist got into the driver's seat.

Taki didn't say anything to the loud, hyper mass until he had turned the ignition on. "Hey-"

"I'll tell! I swear I will! You won't get away with this!" Before the brat could interrupt him again, Taki turned on the radio and tuned it in to the most awful song he could find. He then turned it up full blast. It took only a few moments for the brat to clamp both hands over his ears. Taki turned it down, feeling satisfied. Shindou opened his mouth as if to complain, only Taki beat him to it first.

"Stop your whining and tell me where to find that stupid punk Tatsuha."

* * *

Tatsuha wanted to die. He was stuck searching through old finical records, in an office that had no air conditioning. It seemed his boss had decided to punish Tatsuha with isolation. Isolation from the stares of lovely secretaries.

"This job sucks. What was I thinking? I can't do this! I'm useless!" Tatsuha laid his head down on the desk, hoping he could disappear.

And the worst thing is, what if Shuichi didn't really care? What if this was just a break from Yuki and the boy decided to run back to him? Tatsuha didn't want to think about that. He wanted Shuichi. Not in the same way he had wanted Ryuichi either. He didn't know how to explain it any better then that. All he knew was that for some reason, he felt serious about Shuichi.

The boy also knew that he was very afraid of being rejected. And he usually didn't care about being rejected. His view of life had always been, "you win some, you lose some." Tatsuha had been disappointed too many times in his life. So he had decided to give up on caring and had chosen to party his life away. Well, until now anyways…

A slight creaking noise alerted his attention. Warily, Tatsuha lifted his head, wondering what they wanted from him now. And he nearly fell out of his seat when he saw Ryuichi leaning over his desk, a slight smile on the singer's face.

"Hi, Tatsuha! Long time, no see! What are you doing? Are you really working? That's so cool! You look really good in that suit!" Ryuichi was babbling as if nothing had changed, which was really, really disturbing the teenager.

"Uh, Ryuichi, what are you doing here?" Tatsuha finally managed to stammer out. The older man froze and nervously scratched his head, then suddenly pulled out a small bundle.

"I was in London and got everyone presents. This one's for you." Ryuichi handed it over a little nervously. Tatsuha received the package hesitantly, wondering why Ryuichi would bother giving it to him. He opened it up to find… A T-shirt. With nothing on it.

"I see that you still suck at getting people presents." Tatsuha grinned slightly, causing Ryuichi to look down. The tenseness in the room was thick at that moment.

"Yeah, well, that's all I could think of. So I'll be going…" Ryuichi was about to leave when suddenly he stopped. "Tatsuha, before I go, I really need to talk to you."

* * *

Shuichi glared at Taki as he lay hunched up in the passenger seat. His shoulder hurt and his ears were ringing. The moment he had told Aizawa the location, the man had speed out of the parking lot and told his passenger to shut the hell up or else.

Shuichi really wondered how all this had happened. No, he knew how it had happened. It was all the driver's fault. It was Taki Aizawa's fault that he had broken up with Yuki and was now with Tatsuha. Which might not necessarily be a bad thing, but it was a sudden thing and the boy was feeling overwhelmed.

"Hey, brat." Shuichi glanced over his shoulder at Taki and glared.

"What?"

"I want to know what you and that "monk" have against me and Ryuichi." Taki was keeping his eyes on the road, acting as if it was very simple thing he was asking.

"Well, I want to know what you have against me." Taki cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. Shuichi got annoyed with the silent treatment and decided to provoke the other vocalist some more. "I think someone's jealous."

Taki merely snickered as if that was preposterous. "Fuck you. You're just an imitation of Ryuichi… And a very crappy one at that."

"Oh, shut up. I don't hear anyone talking about you…" Shuichi trailed off as he realized what a load of crap that was. He knew that ASK was highly thought of and well respected. "Besides, I've got more publicity then you…" That was true at least.

"All because you're sleeping with blondie." Taki muttered, still focused on the road.

"No! And besides I'm sleeping with Tatsuha now…" The pink-haired vocalist trailed off yet again, knowing he had made a serious blunder.

"Oh, that's why you were running out of there…" Taki was laughing to himself, then suddenly his face took on a deadly set. "You should learn to control your toys. If he does anything to Ryuichi, I'll have to cause some permanent damage to him." A very creepy look crossed Taki's face.

Shuichi's heart sank, realizing that things had gotten complicated yet again. [Shit. Tatsuha, you better not do anything stupid.]

* * *

"Tatsuha, Shuichi said you like me. As in, love. Is that true?" Ryuichi was looking Tatsuha in the eye and the singer was very serious. Tatsuha looked away, blushing a little and then nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you could said I was in love…" There was a loud noise as Ryuichi's hands slammed on the desk.

"Why didn't you tell me? Were you only being my friend so that you could get a piece of me, or…" Ryuichi quietly seethed for a moment. Tatsuha swallowed, hoping he didn't make this sound as bad as it was.

"I did want to become friends just so that I could um, do certain things with you." Tatsuha really wished Ryuichi would stop glaring at him like that. "And well, if I told you, would you have wanted me? And could we have still remained friends." There was silence for a few minutes, before Ryuichi looked down, looking a little depressed.

"No, I would've rejected you. You're a little too young for me and even if you weren't, I just can't think of you that way. But, we could have remained friends-"

"No we couldn't. I wouldn't have allowed that. I still would've tried to manipulate the situation. You know that." Tatsuha looked at Ryuichi sternly, causing the older man to flinch.

"So, we can't hang out like we used to then. Well, then, I guess I'll be going…" Ryuichi turned around to leave and to hide his tears. Before he could go though, he felt a hand on his sleeve.

"Wait a moment. You haven't heard me out all the way. In the past, yes, we couldn't have been friends. But, this is the present, and I have something to take my mind off of things. Something named Shuichi…" Ryuichi's eyes goggled. [Shuichi? Did he go and switch obsessions… Wait a moment, he said we can still be friends!] Ryuichi glomped onto Tatsuha happily.

"You mean, we can be friends? For real! Everything's all right?" Tatsuha nodded, causing Ryuichi to hug him even tighter. "I'm so happy! And here I was so scared to talk to you and stuff, and…" Ryuichi's eyes widened as he felt a hand squeezing his rear end. He whapped Tatsuha upside the head, causing the teen's head to fly back.

"Sorry! Force of habit!" Seeing that Ryuichi was still glaring at him, Tatsuha decided to make up a few more excuses. "Really, my body moved on it's own. It's a reflex! And you're the one hanging on me!"

"You slut!" Yelled a different voice and a very familiar one. The two looked to see Shuichi and Taki standing in the door way, both of them looking incredibly pissed.

* * *

Yuki groaned as he opened his fridge to find nothing. During the last few days he had forgotten to shop and was now suffering the consequences. He closed the door and was surprised to see a note there.

Yuki-san,

Do you think you could come over to Tohma's for dinner? I figured it would be nice if we all ate together. Plus, I think it might liven things up for the both of us. And, I'll make sure to liven up things for Tohma as well.

Suguru-kun

Yuki scoffed, now sure that the boy's audacity had reached critical mass and needed to be squashed. Why would he want to go over to his sister's house? Though, it seemed that he had a little something planned for Tohma…

"Maybe I will go and see what this kid has up his sleeve."

* * *

Taki had an arm around Ryuichi's waist, and was carrying the older man like a sack of rice. He waved to Shuichi, who had Tatsuha in a strangle hold. "Shindou-kun, I leave him in your hands."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, you prick." Tatsuha let out a blood curdling scream, obviously in pain.

"Back at you, stupid punk." Taki grinned as he slammed the door shut. There were a bunch of office workers staring at them in concern. " Keep on staring you miserable stooges. You should be glad that you get to be in my presence for free." Taki walked out of the office, with Ryuichi still dangling from his arm. It was only when they were outside of the building that the younger man set him down.

Ryuichi shook his head, still in complete and utter shock. "Taki, what are you-"

"What the hell were you doing with him?" Taki looked absolutely furious.

"It's not what you think! I was just talking to him about some things! We're just friends, that's all!" Taki's eyes narrowed, causing Ryuichi to flinch. [Oh man, this looks so bad. He's going to dump me for sure. I've made him so…] And at that moment, a light bulb went on, causing Ryuichi to smirk.

"What are you smiling about?" Taki hissed through his clenched teeth.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Ryuichi was giggling, holding a hand to his mouth. Taki froze, his face flushing.

"I am not! I just can't believe you'd hang around some pervert unless there was something in it for you." Taki really couldn't meet Ryuichi's gaze right now. He was jealous and had instantly come running, like some love sick little idiot.

Ryuichi's smile grew even wider, and he latched on to Taki's arm. "Hey, it's okay to be jealous. Though you look really cute when you're embarrassed about it as well." He leaned his head against Taki's arm and lay there for a moment, a content look on his face.

"I bet you're probably used to people being jealous over you…" Taki scoffed, still feeling annoyed that he had ended up looking like such a dork.

"Hey, Taki…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have the answer yet?"

"Yes, and no. I just know that I… Shit, I don't know how to say it." Ryuichi tugged on Taki's hand suddenly. [How do I tell you that I want to be near you without losing my pride?]

"Taki, just one thing: are we okay?" He looked up at the younger man, worried.

"Yeah, we're good. Just… I don't know what to do in a relationship either, okay?" Taki was massaging his forehead, feeling pissed off at himself. "I must seem like such a fickle bastard right now." Ryuichi just laughed, holding Taki tighter.

"You're not fickle. You're just difficult. That's not such a bad thing. If anyone's fickle, it's me." Ryuichi noted a slight lump in one of Taki's pockets. He slowly removed the present he had given Taki. "Hey, Taki… Open it right now." Taki grabbed the box from Ryuichi and looked down into the glowing face.

He slowly unwrapped it, swearing he could feel Ryuichi's anticipation. [The way he's acting, you'd think it was him getting the present.] He finally removed the last of the wrapping to reveal a watch.

"What kind of souvenir is this?"

"It's a watch." Ryuichi was grinning from ear to ear. "I know it's not what people usually get from souvenirs, but this since this was the first present I was going to get you, I wanted it to be nice. Put it on." Taki did as he was told and moved his wrist around, looking at it. "Wow, it looks really good on you."

Taki rolled his eyes, still unable to believe how quickly things were now back to 'normal.' Or rather, this new pseudo-normal state that Ryuichi had thrown his life into. "Of course it does. I look good in anything." [Shit. Now I have to get him something.] "Hey Ryuichi, When's your birthday?"

"Hmm, in April." The singer replied, now staring off into space, happily dazed. "Why?"

"No reason. How about we go to your place." [What can I give him?]

* * *

Tatsuha was tossed into the apartment, followed by an angry Shuichi and a slamming of the door. "Ow! Will you stop being such a bitch! I already told you it was nothing!" The moment Tatsuha had been left alone with Shuichi, everything had turned into messy havoc. The horrible commotion resulted in him getting fired. Or rather suspended. It turned out that management was a little hesitant about getting rid of Mika Seguchi's brother.

"Take off the fucking suit now." Shuichi hissed. Tatsuha did a take and smirked.

"Whatever you say, my little Shuichi…" He grinned as he began to remove his tie, only to be smacked in the head by a shoe.

"In the bedroom. I want you in your regular clothes." Tatsuha was about to protest, but he could tell the Shuichi wasn't fooling around with him. Grumbling to himself he went and did what he was told. When he came back out, he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

"Happy now?" Shuichi walked around him, looking him over as if he was some sort of art display. Finally, the older teen sighed, as if relieved.

"Thank god. That suit just looked wrong on you."

"What?" Before he could demand an explanation though, Shuichi was once more giving him a stern look.

"Now tell me why you got that job. For real."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Yuki, Suguru and Dinner at Tohma's… What can go wrong here? Meanwhile, Shuichi realizes that he must convince Tatsuha that he's not second rate. But, to do that he must confront his past with Yuki. And Taki tries to figure out how to make things up to Ryuichi.


	21. Pranks and Realizations

Pairings: Ryu/Taki, Tatsuha/Shu (or is Shu/Tatsuha?) and a little bit of YukixSuguru (Come on, it's not that weird. Trust me, if you've read the manga, you know where I'm coming from.)

Rating: PG 13 for some language and sexual innuendos.

Summary: Suguru demonstrates his wild side, intriguing Yuki. Just what is going on between those two? Some Taki and Ryuichi fluff, now that Taki's getting serious. Also some serious TatsuhaxShu stuff as Shuichi is forced to prove himself.

Also, for those who have live journal, I now have a gravitation fanfic community for those who like odd pairings. You can find a link for it in my profile. Yes, I'm a shameless pimp, I know, I know.

I also want to pimp the Gravity Doujin by Sammy Hill, aka Kawaii Amethyst and the Gravitation RPGs, Kill Me Shining and xxxgravirpxxx. Once again, links can be found in my profile.

* * *

Inspired

Chapter 21

When Mika Seguchi opened the door, the last person she expected to see was her brother, Eiri Yuki. "Eiri? Is something wrong?" The blonde cocked an eyebrow at her question.

"Are things really so bad between us that I can't drop by for no reason other than to have dinner?" Seeing the flustered look on his sister's face, Yuki smirked. "Well, are you going to let me in?"

Regaining her composure, Mika stepped aside. As Yuki entered and proceed to take his shoes off, Mika still felt a million alarm bells going off inside her head. Before she could ask though, she was surprised to hear a rather chipper voice call out behind her.

"Good Evening, Yuki-san! I'm so glad you came! I wasn't sure if you would, so I'm very relieved!" Suguru had just entered the room and was unusually hyper. Yuki glanced back at him and shrugged.

"When I saw your letter, how could I resist?" Mika looked between the two men who seemed to be oblivious to her existence. "Now what's this about Tohma?" Suguru was about to say something when he glanced at Mika. Grabbing Yuki's arm, he began to pull the older man away.

"Let's talk somewhere else. I don't want to spoil the surprise." Nodding, the blonde-haired man followed Suguru, leaving an utterly lost Mika behind. Since when are those two so friendly?

* * *

The moment they had gotten back to Ryuichi's place, Taki had been jumped without any warning. But, he hadn't minded as it lead to lots and lots of sex. Afterwards though, they had to clean up all the damage which consisted of a knocked over house plant, some over turned chairs, a table that had it's contents pushed onto floor and whipped cream that had made it's way to various corners of the living room. Even after the clean up, Taki was still missing a shoe, but ignored it for the time being, so that he could order some pizza. Anything to prevent Ryuichi from cooking.

After dialing the number and making it quite clear that he was going to hold them to the 'thirty minutes or your pizza's' free' rule, he went to back to the living room where Ryuichi was sitting. "I could have made something." Ryuichi said as he pouted at Taki, who sat down next to him.

"What is it with you and cooking? And you can stop looking at me like that. It's too late." Ryuichi looked annoyed now, but shrugged it off, choosing to stare off for a moment before looking Taki in the eye again.

"I used to cook all the time when I lived at home. Do you cook?"

"Why? Are you trying to size me up to see if I'd make a good wife?" Taki chuckled at Ryuichi's dumbfounded expression. "No, I don't cook much. Not if I can help it. But, if I do make something, I can usually choke it down. I actually prefer the microwave or instant method, if you know what I mean." They were silent for a few minutes before Ryuichi spoke up.

"Taki, you know, I'll take care of you, right? I'll make sure to take care of things so you don't have to worry anymore."

"What are you going on about?" The way Ryuichi was talking you'd think he'd done something wrong.

"Well, what I mean is, I know I'm a lot of trouble for you and that things will probably get even harder the longer we stay together." Taki had a look of disbelief on his face as Ryuichi continued. "Just leave things to me and everything will be fine. You don't have to get upset again, okay?" The older man flashed him a smile, which gave Taki the strangest urge. This urge was a combination of two desires: the desire to hug Ryuichi and the desire to smack him upside the head. Taki chose annoyance instead.

"Listen, I don't need to be protected. I'm not a toy." Seeing Ryuichi's look of fear and shock, Taki knew he hadn't chosen the best course of action. "What I mean is, don't try so hard, alright? It just makes me feel inadequate."

"You feel inadequate? You?" It was obvious that Ryuichi couldn't understand the concept.

"Yes, I feel inadequate. Trust me, if you were dating someone much more famous and popular than you, you'd be going through the same thing."

"But, you're famous too, Taki. Besides, I thought you didn't care who I was. Even if I was God." Ryuichi grinned at Taki, who was trying to come up with a good retort.

"I just wanted to get you into the sack, that's all. I was trying to appear cold. People are really into that nowadays." The older man wrinkled his nose in annoyance.

"Liar." But, Taki was now ignoring Ryuichi in favor of playing with the other's hair.

"How do you keep it so soft?" Ryuichi swatted Taki's hand away.

"Don't change the subject!" At that moment, the door bell rang and Taki got to his feet to answer it. "Hey, I'm not done with you!" The younger man merely tuned him out and opened the door to reveal the pizza delivery man. Ryuichi fumed to himself as Taki paid the man. You may have won this time, but eventually, I'm going to make you say you're mine.

* * *

"So, tell me what conspiracy you're a part of." Shuichi had his arms crossed, indicating that he was in a no nonsense mood.

"Conspiracy? What conspiracy?" Tatsuha really couldn't believe he was having this conversation with Shuichi. It was really reminding the dark-haired teen that he was the younger of the two.

"The conspiracy that would require a lazy bum like you to go corporate."

"Hey, what do you mean by the lazy bum thing? I just wanted a job, okay? I need to support myself. That's all right, isn't it?" They glared at each other, both secretly scrambling to find the right words to say so that the situation wouldn't get out of control. Shuichi was the first one to grab onto a coherent thought.

"Well, why not chose a normal job? A job that's normal for teenagers."

"Because, it looks lame."

"Why would that look lame?" Tatsuha merely shrugged and muttered something under his breath that Shuichi couldn't make out.

"What was that?"

"You don't understand what it's like, being compared to him all the time."

"Huh?" Shuichi was surprised by the darker tone the teenager had taken on.

"No matter what he does, everyone still loves him. No matter how much the old man complains, I know he still wants Eiri to take over the temple. Even though Eiri doesn't want to, even though he doesn't care."

Tatsuha seemed like he was going to cry. Shuichi reached out towards him, but stopped when Tatsuha started speaking again.

"And Mika and Tohma. He acts like a creep towards them, but they still like him… And God, why do I have to look like him? Blonde hair aside, we look just alike, and everyone's always mixing us up and..." Tatsuha was unable to stop himself now. Regardless of how much he loved his brother, there always had been a bit of resentment towards him as well. It was only lately that he'd been feeling it this intensely.

"You two aren't anything alike." Shuichi said abruptly, causing Tatsuha to look at him strangely. "Well, you look alike, but that's because you're brothers. I mean if you look like Yuki, that means you look like Mika right?" The pink-haired boy smirked at the incredulous look that crossed Tatsuha's face. "And well, personality wise, you guys are as different as night and day." Seeing the younger teen staring at him still, Shuichi was worried that he had said something wrong.

"Go on." Tatsuha said, obviously surprised.

"Well, what I mean is…" Shuichi took a moment to collect his thoughts, as he was shocked that he was being taken seriously. "You may goof off, but you're smart about relationships and stuff. I mean, you were one of the people who convinced me that it didn't matter if I happened to fall in love with a man. And well, you do good other times as well. And you've always listened to what I had to say when I was worried about me and Yuki. Plus, you care about the other people around you. You don't act like it, but I know that if something happened to someone you cared about, you'd be there in a flash, no matter how bad things were between the both of you." Tatsuha had the strangest look on his face.

"No ones ever said anything like that to me. The most I get is that I'm good in bed." Tatsuha chuckled bitterly. "And even those girls, I know that they think my brother's better. I'm just an amusement."

"Tatsuha, that just means they're idiots." Shuichi slid his arms around Tatsuha and held him. "So you got that job to prove something?"

"Yeah. I wanted you to think I was dependable. Pretty stupid, huh?" He couldn't believe he was crying. Tatsuha Uesugi didn't cry.

"It is pretty stupid." Feeling Tatsuha tense up, Shuichi chuckled. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the most dependable person either." Before Tatsuha could retort, Shuichi kissed him.

* * *

Tohma was really surprised that Yuki had come to dinner. He was also surprised that Suguru was sitting right next to the novelist. Normally, his cousin avoided sitting next to people he was unfamiliar with, and when he did, he didn't look _that _happy about it. Shindou-san does one thing and everything changes yet again. He really needed to figure out the boy's secret. But, for now he would just be content with the lovely dinner gift.

"Mika, pass the gravy." Plus, he was indulging in western food this time, one of his few favorites, turkey with stuffing and gravy. Just as he was about to drench his food in delicious goodness though, the door bell rang. A servant came in with a nervous look on his face.

"Seguchi-sama, there is something that you need to attend to." Tohma nodded and headed out after the servant. A few minutes after he had left, Suguru began to giggle. Mika stared at him in shock, and saw that Yuki was trying really hard to hide his smirk.

"What are you two… Are you planning to…" Comprehension dawned dawned on her, causing Mika to get out of her chair and rush to the door. Or that was the plan, but Yuki's hand was firmly on her shoulder.

"Don't you want to see him taken down a peg for once? I'm sure he's done something that you want to pay him back for." Mika's eyes darkened and she muttered something under her breath. "What?"

"Last night, he taped over my soap opera." She said this in a low tone, fists trembling with rage.

Yuki was taken aback at first, then he grinned. "So are you on our side?" Suguru and Yuki looked at her expectantly.

"Yes, he must be made to pay for his _sins._"

* * *

As Tohma walked toward the room where the visitor was supposedly waiting, it occurred to him that things were a little to quiet. He wasn't the paranoid type though, and merely assumed that Mika and Eiri had merely made the situation in the kitchen awkward as was often the case between those two.

Walking into the room though, he was surprised to see a camera crew sitting in there, as if for an interview. No one told me about this? I'll fire the entire staff for this slip up. "Can I help you gentlemen?" The man in charge of the operation, who had a microphone in his hand, walked up to Tohma with a smile on his face.

"Are you the Tohma Seguchi?" He was looking Tohma over from head to toe, as if confirming something. "Oh, of course you must be. My bad." Tohma blinked as the man grabbed his hand and shook it. "You are a real sport for doing this though. A real sport."

"Excuse me, but could you tell me what this is all about?"

"Why you've been selected to on our latest segment of 'Fashion Police."

* * *

Ryuichi still hadn't gotten a chance to get Taki back on track. After eating their pizza, he turned the tv station over to another horror movie. This time it was something along the lines of Friday the 13th and Ryuichi wasn't enjoying it at all. But, as usual, Taki was rather absorbed in the movie. Every time Ryuichi was about to bring up the their early conversation, something scary would happen onscreen and he'd end up burying his face in Taki's shoulder or chest, thus ending any serious conversation. He couldn't really help it, he was a scaredy cat and the younger man was very, very comfortable.

Taki himself knew he was being insufferable, but he couldn't help it. Ryuichi was being too, Ryuichi. Not that it was a bad thing to be himself, but the guy could be dense as a brick sometimes. Taki had been learning to be unusually tolerant with Ryuichi, who just didn't get that you didn't say certain things to a guy, dating or not. Then again, what do I know about it? I haven't been with a guy before, so he is one step ahead of me here.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Cried Ryuichi, as he continued hiding his face. Taki considered the option carefully. If I turn it off, he'll want to talk… But, then again there is something I want to say to him, but I don't want to say it either. After a few minutes of internal debate Taki grabbed the remote and turned the tv off.

"Oh thank you, so much!!!" Ryuichi was now hugging the life out of Taki who was trying really hard to resist the urge to panic. A natural urge when you were being nearly suffocated to death.

"Ryuichi, we need to talk."

* * *

"Fashion… Police?" Tohma was in pure shock and couldn't stop himself from glancing at his apparel. He was wearing a frilly shirt, ala Ryuichi's usual style, but a little more conservative, underneath a black over coat. To complete the look he was wearing a pair of rather tight leather pants and some really expensive Italian shoes. "I do not see what is wrong with my fashion sense."

"Well, you see, most men don't have your sense of style. In fact most women don't dress like that either."

Tohma crossed his arms as he felt his annoyance grow. "I fail to see why that would imply that I'm a bad dresser." The interviewer was now nervous and looked back to his crew, who offered no support.

"Well, your style is interesting, I'll give you that. But, it's just so unorthodox." Must not crush… Must not crush…

"Oh, when the camera rolls, can you actually smile?"

* * *

Shuichi looked around the apartment, trying to puzzle some things out. He had forced Tatsuha to go take a bath so that he could have some alone time. The apartment was so big, even with all his stuff spaced out all over the place. All his stuff, none of Tatsuha's…

But, that should change… Ideally.

Well, depending on how things went it could be difficult. Tatsuha was sixteen and if Shuichi's past experiences with the Uesugi elder were any indication, the old man wasn't going to be quiet while his youngest ran off with a nineteen year old boy. One who had already 'corrupted' his oldest son.

Speaking of the oldest one… Shuichi thought as he saw a photo album that had been sitting on the shelf. Grabbing it, he walked over to the sofa and sat down. He began to flip through the pictures and found himself grinning as he looked at them. Yuki reminds me of Tatsuha…

A picture of Yuki asleep at his desktop. Another when he was lying on the couch. One that Shuichi had accidentally taken when the novelist was pissed at him. One that was a little inappropriate…

Crap. I have to return these. It's creepy keeping them and if Tatsuha sees them, he's going to get insecure again.

* * *

Mika, Suguru and Yuki had been peaking their heads through a door and were having a hard time not laughing at Tohma's humiliation. "So, how much longer do you think it will be until he snaps?" Suguru whispered to Yuki.

"Another twenty minutes I'd say…" The author was enjoying this a little too much. Then again, it was rare to see Tohma taken down a peg.

"No." Mika said as she tried to get a better look. She had just heard the interviewer's latest question and was near laughing her ass off. "They just insinuated that he looks gayer than Ryuichi. He has ten minutes left till he blows his top." Of course, he's more Uesugisexual than anything… Mika thought to herself, but decided to quash that thought. Now that her brother was 'single' again, she didn't want to think about having possible competition. Again.

"So these are all college grads?" Yuki said as he watched the performance, enjoying the squirming that was going on.

"Hai. They're the prop division of the theatre department there. I meet them when I was doing college visits last year. Since they were so kind to me, I thought I should give them a present." Yuki shuddered visibablly. Great, he's already developing connections.

* * *

Tohma had finally reached his limit. He didn't know what had sparked it, all he knew was that he had his cell phone out and was calling, not the police, but some rather friendly yakuza who owed him a few favors. At the moment the interviewer saw him pull out the phone though, his tone changed. "Oh, before you call anyone, could you do me one more favor?" Tohma was about to say no, but realizing that he was about to end the poor sod's life, he decided a final wish was in order.

"Alright." At that moment the man pulled out a camera and aimed it at Tohma. Before he could protest, the flash had gone off catching the bewildered look on Tohma's face. With that the whole crew began to clean up all their equipment. "What are you doing?" Tohma was in even more shock than before.

"Oh, it's the end of the mission, so I'm afraid we must be leaving. Tell Suguru-kun that we'll have plenty of pictures for him and his friends by next week." By now, Tohma was beginning to twitch.

"You mean this was all a scam?" At that the crew looked rather nervous.

"Well, Suguru-kun implied that you had sense of humor about these things…"

* * *

At that moment, Suguru decided to take his leave of Yuki and Mika. "I think I'm going out for a walk." The teenager slowly walked out, obviously meaning to go out one of the back doors. After he was gone, Mika shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I'd better stop Tohma from suing them." With that she headed out the door to calm Tohma, secretly delighted that her soap opera had been avenged. Yuki crossed his arms as he thought about what had just happened. Shuichi always described him as an uptight stick in the mud. The prank Suguru pulled reminded him of when he was younger. Only this prank was a little more elaborate.

Still, why did he want me here to see it?

* * *

To Be Continued…

Just what is up with Suguru? Does he have, gasp, feelings for Yuki? Does Yuki care? What does Tohma think about this? And what is it that Taki wanted to talk to Ryuichi about? And what happens when Shuichi sees Yuki again? How does Tatsuha handle it?

Sorry to leave off on the cliffy. What can I say, I'll follow up on the Ryuichi/Taki stuff next chapter. Once again, to keep Yuki/Shu fans from expecting much, no they will not realize they love each other and get magically back together. If it doesn't work out with Tatsuha, I'm going to allow Shuichi to stay single for a while.


	22. Chapter 22

Rating: PG-13: Some language and adult situations…

Pairings: ShuichixTats, Ryuichi/Taki, and a little bit of Yuki/Suguru.

Note: Sorry this took so long. I've been having issues with school, not to mention I've discovered some interesting rps. Once again, I apologize for the wait.

* * *

Chapter 22

That morning, Tohma was still keeping a rather scary, twitchy smile on his face. "That was the most amusing humiliation I ever went through, wasn't it, Mika dear?" He didn't seem to notice her flinch as he continued. "Why, I must congratulate Suguru on his cleverness… Where is he anyways?"

Mika nearly choked on her cereal before coming up with a carefully formulated answer. "He hasn't returned since last night. I think he went over to a friend's place for the night."

"Oh… What a convenient time for him to develop a social life…" Tohma darkly chuckled in a silent way that caused Mika to flinch. I hope Suguru stays away for a long, long time.

* * *

"Thanks for letting me stay here Nakano-san." Suguru smiled at the drowsy looking guitarist. "I'm sorry if I interfered with your alone time with Ayaka-chan."

The younger boy grimaced at Hiro's rather pissed off look. When he had come there, he had been knocking for five minutes, sure that Hiro was there and well, when the guitarist had answered the door with a rather flushed looking Kyoto girl behind them, it had occurred to Suguru that he had made a mistake. It was only because of Ayaka's sympathy that he had not only been allowed to live, but to stay as well. Which no doubt pissed Hiro off to know end at that moment.

"Think nothing of it, and I mean that." The older teen snarled as he fixed some coffee. Suguru himself was feeling unusually talkative though, despite having slept on the couch.

"So, where is Ayaka-chan anyways? Still asleep?" The younger boy said this with a really bad rendition of a knowing smile. Hiro's glare told him so. "Uh, well I mean you, uh-"

"We each kept to our own side of the bed, alright?" Hiro snapped as he slammed two mugs on the table. Suguru shivered but said nothing as he watched Hiro, who looked tense.

The younger teen hung his head down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get in the way of anything." The apology seemed to melt away whatever animosity the other man felt as his shoulders went slack.

"It's alright… It's my fault for letting you in. Why did you come here anyways? I mean besides getting Seguchi pissed off. You've been acting weird lately." He gulped at Hiro's gaze, not sure he wanted to discuss this. "I mean," the long haired boy continued, "it's not like you to pull pranks. And also, you were being friendly with Shuichi that one day, but it's like there's something else going on with you, I can't quite put my finger on it."

"I-I was trying to impress…." Hiro's eyes were on him as he tried to stammer out his confession. "I wanted to make him laugh. Yuki-san that is." He heard something drop and turned to see Hiro looking at him rather shocked, his cup of coffee having nearly spilled over. Suguru prepared to be yelled at. He knew that Hiro would think he was being stupid or that he was betraying Shuichi, but well, it was the truth…

At the sound of a chair scraping across the floor, Suguru opened his eyes to see Hiro sitting in front of him, arms crossed, eyes serious. "Okay, tell me everything."

* * *

That morning was the first morning Yuki Eiri had woken up sober and whole in about a week or so. Not only that, but he had actually finished a significant portion of his book. He had come home feeling, to put it quaintly, 'in the zone.' Now he was almost tempted to reach for a beer, but he chose a cigarette instead. He honestly couldn't stop smiling at last night's antics. An irate Tohma punishing poor drama students was not a sight a man saw too often in his life time. And then, the hunt for the newly mysterious Suguru Fujisaki had taken place without much success.

Mysterious was certainly the word Yuki would have used for this behavior. Then again he had never bothered to learn anything about the boy either. All he knew was that the child was Tohma's cousin, a young and precocious boy eager to follow in the man's footsteps. So, there really hadn't been much to the child in Yuki's mind.

But, this last week had proven him wrong as he continued to make more discoveries about the boy. He had a sense of humor, a sense of warmth, and humanity, and other sensibilities that Yuki could appreciate. But, he was also Tohma's blood relation, there was no doubt. He had manipulative side that used people, a desire for closeness, yet an ethereal quality that made him seem separate from others.

How that must hurt… Not that I should care. So what if his little prank, which was clearly for my amusement, made me feel better than I have in a long, long time?

He wasn't making the mistake he made with Shuichi in assuming that a simple spark would last forever. This was merely an investigation. An intrigue in his life which was suddenly less busy. A nice distraction he told himself.

* * *

Shuichi held all the photo albums in one arm as he shut off all the lights in the house. He had taken a quick glance in the bedroom and knew that Tatsuha was still sound asleep and would be for a while. He didn't want to lie to the teenager about where he was going and he sure as hell didn't want to tell Tatsuha the truth. Truth being that he was going to see his ex-lover one last time to return pictures.

As he hurried out the apartment to the bus stop, he felt the load getting a little heavier. It wasn't like he returned something as intimate as pictures everyday. And it meant seeing Yuki again, which made him feel a little aggravated. He was so tense, that the bus ride seemed to increase in length, as if he was trapped in a loop.

When he finally got off, his feet felt like lead, as if with each step, he was destroying pavement. The closer he got to Yuki's, the slower he moved, till he finally reached the doorstep, his body moving at a pace that even a snail wouldn't envy. The moment he rang the door bell though, he suddenly had to quell the urge to fly that filled his limbs.

In fact he had actually turned and was about to run when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Look who comes crawling back." He turned around to see Yuki looking, well, he guessed normal, though he was sure there was something off. Before he could have time to ponder it though, what Yuki had said sunk in.

"I have not come crawling back! I just came here to return some things." The pink-haired boy hissed through his teeth, now too pissed to be scared. Seeing the blond cock his eyebrow in that familiar, 'oh really' motion only cemented his determination. Shuichi shoved past him into the kitchen and dumped his load on the table. "Here, you can sort it all out." The plan was then to stomp out, slam the door and run as far away as possible.

Unfortunately, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Shuichi, we need to talk. Now." The younger man creaked up his head towards Yuki, who looked, well serious. Not that he wasn't always serious, but this seemed a little different. He felt the pressure of the hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to sit down. Shuichi shoved it off, not so much annoyed at Yuki as well, annoyed with himself for nearly getting sucked in.

"Make it quick. I have places to be." Yuki seemed surprised, but didn't try to place his hand back there again.

The older man crossed his arms and looked at Shuichi carefully. "Are you serious about this? About my brother?"

"Why wouldn't I be serious?" Shuichi turned his back to Yuki. "It's over between us, it's been over for a long time, hasn't it?" Yuki honestly couldn't come up with an answerer to that one. "I mean, in the end, what did we have in common? We just happened to be able to keep from killing each other long enough to fuck on occasion and maybe make out. That doesn't make a relationship." And suddenly, before Yuki could stop him, Shuichi bolted out the door.

Finally, he found the right thing to say, as lame as it was. "Then, what makes a relationship?" Said to no one now. And as he sat down at the table, he realized that he had no answer.

* * *

Suguru didn't like it when Hiro glared at him. When the guitarist did it to Shuichi, it was okay. But, when it was directed at him, it wasn't . "Are you trying to tell me that you have the hots for Yuki-san?" Oh man, that was an ugly glare and that was an ugly…

"I didn't say that!!! I just want to be his friend! His friend!" It was obvious that Hiro didn't buy it though. "Please, Nakano-san, I'm not doing it to get at Shindou-kun. Really."

"Have you told Shuichi about any of this?" Seeing Suguru's look of fear, he groaned. "You better tell him soon, or else he's going to think you're a boyfriend stealer." He whispered conspiratorially into Suguru's ear.

The younger boy jumped up, his side accidentally banging into the table. "For the last time, I'm not in love with Yuki-san!!!"

"…Yuki-san…" Mumbled a sleepy reply. Both boys turned their heads to see a sleepy Ayaka in the door way hair disheveled, eyes still heavy with sleep.

Hiro popped up and rushed to her side. Grabbing her by the shoulders he gently guided her out of the kitchen. "Ayaka-chan, the bathroom's this way." Suguru could hear a sleepy grumble or two coming from the girl as Hiro led her away. There was the sound of a door shutting and Hiro came back in, looking a little less annoyed. "Fine, it's none of my business if you like him or not. But, tell Shuichi, alright?"

Suguru looked down a moment before nodding. "Fine, but just remember, it's not because I stole Yuki-san from him. It's just so he doesn't get the wrong idea." Hiro obviously didn't believe him, but that was beside the point. He'd talk to Shuichi about this because it was the moral thing to do. Not because he wanted to make sure he wasn't encroaching on someone else's territory.

* * *

Ryuichi laid on his side on the couch that morning, unable to sleep for some reason. Well, he actually knew why he couldn't sleep. Because he was seriously freaked out by what Taki had asked him. And he didn't know why.

'Is this going to last?'

He hadn't thought about it. It should have been easy to answer. He should have been able to say, 'of course it will, forever and ever.' But, he couldn't. And Taki had just shrugged it off after a bit, apologizing for saying something stupid. And everything had been normal, well for Ryuichi's guest.

But, now he didn't know. He'd been so excited to get Taki, just to get him into bed that he hadn't thought about what was really going on. "What if I made a mistake? What if I'm wrong? What if I change my mind? What happens to him? He'll hate me…" Ryuichi whimpered to himself, holding onto Kumagoro.

* * *

Taki flopped back on the bed, surprised to find himself alone, but not really blaming Ryuichi for it. He couldn't believe he had said something that idiotic last night…

'Is this going to last?'

Why the fuck should I care? Because I might have just screwed us both over for nothing? Because I want it to be more then just some casual relationship? Or because I don't want it?

The worst thing was, he had the feeling that Ryuichi didn't really want a long term relationship. The way the older man had looked at him when he asked the question, had been proof enough. The whole evening had been odd after that and Taki had done his best to pretend he hadn't said anything important. But, it was obvious that Ryuichi was bothered by it.

"I'm such a fool." He whispered to himself, rolling over and hiding his face in a pillow.

* * *

The moment Shuichi got back to the apartment, he was confronted by a rather pissed off looking Tatsuha. "Where the hell were you?"

"Uh, I was…"

Tatsuha's face was set in a thin line. "You would have woken me if it was something innocent."

"Hey, how do you know what I would do?" Shuichi knew he couldn't avoid where this was going, but he wanted to, least Tatsuha got paranoid again.

"Well then, what was it?" Tatsuha looked stern, almost, monk like of all things.

"Uh, well it was, I had to um, return something." Eyes were boring into his skull, drilling into the lie filled center…

"Tell me who it was and what it was, now." The younger teen looked pissed.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning. I better tell him the truth in case he finds out later on his own.

"I went to return some things of Yuki's. That's all. We talked for a tiny bit and then I left, that's all." Tatsuha looked annoyed for a moment longer before his shoulders slumped and he got a hurt look on his face.

And then, he got whiney. "Why didn't you tell me? I could handle it. I really could."

"I just didn't want you to worry."

"Well, you could have brought me with…"

Shuichi stared at him, arms crossed. "Sure I could. You would have started a fight."

At that the younger teen smirked. "He would have been asking for it. I could have clocked him good. It'd be fun. Haven't you ever wanted to clock him?"

"Well yeah, but I'm trying to be the mature one here." Tatsuha started snickering, causing Shuichi to get annoyed all over again. "What's so funny?"

"You and mature don't mix." Shuichi whapped him playfully and ran towards the bedroom, a come hither look in his eyes. The teen approached slowly, lust in his eyes, till he was just inches from the door, when Shuichi gave him a strange smile and slammed the door in his face, locking the door. "Shuichi… Open the door… Come on…" Tatsuha began to claw on it like a dog.

On the other side, Shuichi was sitting on the floor, back to the door, a big grin on his face. "Nope. I'm going to be taking a shower. And when I come out, there better be a five star breakfast on the table. Then maybe I'll give you a reward."

"Shuichi…" Tatsuha whined this a few times until the sound of the shower came on, signaling that the older teen was serious. "The things I do to impress a hot chick… or rather in this case, a guy…" He grumbled to himself as he got up and headed towards the kitchen.

* * *

Yuki laid back on the couch, now more annoyed. He had thrown the photo albums into the trash without a second look. He didn't care if he lost something important. He wasn't the type who lived in the past. No agonizing over the brat for him. And no hoping for him to come back either, living for the future being equally stupid.

He sat up after a few minutes when he realized that he had run out of cigarettes. Walking over to his stash, which he kept by the fridge, conveniently next to the beer, he was startled to see Suguru's note from the other day. "I wonder if that kid's still alive?" He mused on this for a while as he retrieved another pack of cigs. Maybe I should call? Reward him for his efforts… Wait, reward him…

He nearly choked as he realized how preposterous his thoughts were. He had just had a perverted thought about his brother-in-law's cousin. A boy the same age as he baby bro, only more precious and innocent looking. And no doubt, much less experienced and worldly.

"Yeah right, like I want to get involved with another brat." He muttered as he slammed the fridge door shut. But, as he stalked off, the thought lingered in all it's un/pleasant glory. Maybe the kid wants me…

* * *

To Be Continued…

It's a big day at work… Suguru must make an unpleasant confession to Shuichi without getting killed. Yuki goes to see Tohma about certain things, which sets our favorite president on a rampage. Tatsuha tries to find another job, and tries to avoid becoming Shuichi's 'housewife,' and Ryuichi and Taki keep running into each other at work, all while trying to decide if they have a future together.

I'm hoping to eventually finish this story off. Tats and Shuichi are already more or less together for the moment… Taki and Ryuichi are going to be cemented together soon as well, while Yuki and Suguru I plan on leaving a little less clear. I will then be working on finishing my other fics so that I can move onto some other projects. One of which will be a sequel to this fanfic, so don't' worry about not having anymore fun.


	23. Chapter 23

Pairings: Ryuichi/Taki, Shuichi/Tatsuha and slight Yuki/Suguru.

Rating: PG-13. Just to be safe.

Summary: Some confessions between a few different groups of characters.

Note: I'm sorry I've been taking so long. I've been busy with certain things unfortunately and as usual, I get writer's block at certain parts of the story.

* * *

Inspired

Chapter 23

Going into work that morning, Suguru made the decision to tell Shuichi the truth. The truth being that in a fit of spiteful rage, Suguru had told on him. Well, maybe it wasn't as big a deal as Hiro made it out to be, right? After all, Shuichi had gone over to Tatsuha rather quickly if he understood what everyone had been saying. Technically, I have nothing to worry about then, do I?

As he opened the door to their studio, compositions cradled in one arm, he resolved to handle things as he saw fit. And either way, he wasn't going to waste the effort justifying himself to Shuichi Shindou, who was sitting right there, right in front of him, ready to start the day, without a care in the world, oh mommy…

* * *

Ma-kun and Ken-chan were both rather surprised to find their band mate sitting in the corner staring off into space. After their attempts at getting his attention failed, they both sat down next to him and started staring off in the same direction he was looking.

"So, what are we looking at Taki?" Ken whispered after a few minutes, looking very intently at that spot on the wall that seemed so interesting to their vocalist.

Taki leaned back slowly, sighing to himself, but not breaking eye contact with that point on the wall or whatever it was. "Have either of you guys ever been with someone that began messing with you perception of reality and had you, well, changing?"

"In what way?" Ma-kun asked as he lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply. "Good way or bad way?"

The shortest of the three drew up his knees and hugged them, still starring. "I don't know. I suppose as in the 'I don't know why I'm suddenly wanting stupid things' kind of way." Both looked at him a moment and shook their heads. "Thought so…" Taki muttered bitterly, still staring off into space.

* * *

Ryuichi had concluded that coming into work today had been stupid. Nittle Grasper wasn't doing anything today, so Noriko wasn't going to be here, and Tohma had chosen today as his rare personal day apparently. The idol singer normally came in on non-work days when he wanted to watch NG's other acts rehearse. He found that there was something refreshing about being around young singers in their prime. Plus, it made him feel younger than he felt. Because regardless of what some people thought, he did feel old at thirty one sometimes.

Today though, there were certain young people he didn't want to run into, like Taki. Not after he had reacted in such a stupid, stupid way yesterday. What was wrong with me? That should have been my dream for him to ask me something like that and I just… Argh! He had woken up by now and knew what his answer would be if he was asked again, but he knew that his chances of being forgiven for yesterday were completely screwed. Taki probably hated him and would never trust him again.

Which once again begged the question, why was he here when he could be groveling in a corner at home? He'd run into Taki if he stayed here! He was about to leave, when he could here the nagging voice of Kumagoro, asking for coffee. "Okay. Just one cup of it, then we're going home."

* * *

"Hey, Suguru you're here early, as usual." Shuichi grinned, holding in his hands what were quite possibly lyrics

"Uh, hi Shin-I mean Shuichi. You are here awfully early yourself." The younger man replied cautiously as he sat down, across from the singer. Of all the days for him to be early too.

Shuichi giggled as he leaned back, almost perilously close to having the chair fallout from underneath him. "Well, it's funny you know, it's like when I'm with Tatsuha, I'm actually able to think clearly. When I was with Yuki, I was so worried about losing his love that every little thing became about him. That's not to say I don't love Tatsuha as much, it's just that I know how he actually feels. It's like I understand him and he understands me. You have no idea what a relief that is compared to when I was with Yuki."

Suguru slowly set his lyrics down, sighing to himself, realizing that now was the time to get it over with. "Speaking of Yuki-san, there's something I need to tell you about what happened that night he found you guys out." Shuichi stopped rocking back in his chair and looked at Suguru, gaze vacant, but intent if that was even possible. "Well, you see, I well, sort of called him that night, and well told him about you and Tatsuha…" Shuichi looked shocked and slowly let the chair fall onto all four feet and leaned forward. "Well, you see, I got annoyed with you two and told myself that it served you right and -"

And suddenly, he was aware that Shuichi was now really close to him and looking, well, he couldn't tell what he looked like, except there seemed to be an evil gleam in his eyes. "Suguru…" He whispered dangerously, leaning closer.

The younger man closed his eyes, unable to swallow the lump that was now forming in his throat. "Uh, I think I need to leave now. I just remembered that I forgot to uhm, uh, call my mother! Yes, I forgot to call my mother." He got up, hoping to leave as soon as possible, only to find an arm locked around his neck. "I, uh, Shuichi, I'm…"

"Come with me into the sound booth, now." Shuichi said darkly as he began to pull him in that direction. Suguru began to silently say his prayers, hoping he wouldn't be killed too badly.

* * *

As he stormed towards the break room, Taki couldn't help but curse his useless friends. When he had explained what had been going on, they had laughed, apparently thinking that it was cute that he was behaving in such a manner. Teasing him about his fragile, maiden heart had earned them a few good smacks upside the head. Now, he was hoping to spend some time away from the two idiots, a lot of time.

As he opened the door though, he was dismayed to hear some rather familiar cursing. "Kumagoro, that mean machine stole our coffee! Bad, icky, mean machine!" It was Ryuichi, yelling a vending machine, holding his stuffed rabbit in front of him, both apparently pissed off. Taki pulled back slowly and was about to make his hasty exit, when Ryuichi turned around at the sound of the door. "Finally someone who can kick this machine's rear… Taki?" They looked at each other a moment, both nervous and trying to figure out how to get away from the situation, without looking stupid.

Taki sighed to himself and decided that maybe he should be the one to break the ice. "Uh, listen, I think we should…" Before he could finish though, Ryuichi was rushing out the door, not even looking at him.

"Sorry, I'd really like to talk, but I have really, uh, important things to do." With that he was gone, leaving Taki feeling just a little peeved. He blew me off. He blew ME off…

* * *

By the time Shuichi was done with him, Suguru was nearly dead from a lack of oxygen. Who knew that tickling would be the vocalist's response to apparent betrayal? After what had possible been thirty minutes of torture, Shuichi had dropped his keyboardist to the ground in a red, breathless, giggling heap. Suguru lay there for a few minutes until he regain himself.

Shuichi merely looked down, a hand resting on his hip and a smirk on his face. "That's what bad boys get for turning on their band mates like that." Suguru slowly got up, still a little shaky, but no longer laughing, much.

"You're not mad?" He looked the older teen in disbelief, having expected more than just tickling. He had been expecting a beating or a fight in which he would thus be kicked out of the band.

Looking off to the side, a sour look on his face, Shuichi sighed. "No, just honestly, not even surprised. It's just like you to do such a bratty thing."

Suguru scowled, but decided not to rise to Shuichi's bait. "Well, as long as everything is clear between us, then I'm satisfied. I also hope that now that you know the truth, there will be no misunderstandings in the future." He suddenly had the itch to play the keyboard a little, now that he was feeling much less pent up.

Shuichi merely watched as the younger boy got up and headed over to the equipment. "What do you mean in the in the 'future?" Unfortunately Suguru was now ignoring him as he began to play a random number. "Come on, Suguru!!" He whined but to no avail, as the younger man was blissfully off in another world now.

* * *

Ryuichi was really regretting running out of there, knowing that he must have appeared to be very cold, but he hadn't been able to help the panic he felt. Which had only been aggravated by the fact that he hadn't had his coffee yet. He had spent the rest of the morning wondering where he could go to find fresh coffee, without running into Taki and had remembered Tohma's office had a really, really nice coffee maker. It was only a matter of using the key he had to get in there, and soon, he had been swimming in warm, caffeine-filled goodness.

He had spent the rest of the afternoon inside the office, playing with Tohma's tv and the rather large, comfy chair that his friend kept. Truth was, Ryuichi was still too scared to come out, but he wasn't about to admit it, even if Kumagoro kept nagging him.

The rabbit kept saying that since he knew he had been wrong, he should just admit it to Taki and get it over with. Ryuichi had made it quite clear at that point that he wasn't afraid to admit that he had goofed up (he did that all the time), but he was afraid of Taki. He had a fair idea of what the younger man's temper was like and was pretty sure he was going to be dumped. He had known things had been going too well, so he shouldn't have been surprised, but on some level, he was very, very disappointed.

* * *

Taki had spent the rest of the day pissed off as hell. He had been ignored! By Ryuichi! By his stalker… Of sorts… Well, he guessed boyfriend? Well, whatever Ryuichi was, he had ignored Taki and that was the last thing the younger man had expected. It wasn't allowed! No one was allowed to ignore him, especially Ryuichi.

And to think he had been upset before and feeling dejected…. He was going to give the older man a piece of his mind, just as soon as he found him. He had searched Ryuichi's little office, if it could be called that and had turned up nothing. Searching through different recording studios hadn't exactly helped either. He had finally decided to try Seguchi's office out of desperation and wasn't exactly pleased at this last resort. After all, he didn't exactly want to run into his boss, only to be harassed because he had upset the man's best friend.

Only he found no secretary there, the woman apparently being out on break. He noticed that the door was opened a crack and decided to hazard a peek inside. Looking around, he saw nothing but Seguchi's chair turned backwards, facing the window. "Seguchi-san? You there?" He waited quietly, hearing no answer at first. Finally, concluding no one was there, he made to leave, only to hear a cough. Hmm, that cough sounds very familiar.

The singer stepped in very quietly and closed the door and waited a few minutes, letting the other party think he was gone. It wasn't long before he heard a relieved sigh. "That was close Kumagoro. He nearly caught us." Taki scowled and quietly walked over to the desk, deciding to surprise the unaware Ryuichi. Just as he reached the desk, he heard a sudden movement and ducked down just as Ryuichi swiveled all the way around. He heard what sounded like feet being swung up onto the desk and if he looked under it, he could see the chair leaning back dangerously. There was silence in the office for a few minutes as both contemplated things, Ryuichi unaware of the full situation.

After a few minutes, the older singer began speaking, apparently addressing the rabbit. "I am so stupid. I can't even talk to him and apologize…" At the word apologize, Taki found himself focusing his complete attention on the situation. Ryuichi himself sounded like he was sniffling as he continued. "I don't know why I acted the way I did either. It's like I got scared. Everything was going so well, so I became afraid that if I took the chance, it would all go down hill. And so I acted stupidly."

"So, that was it?" Taki muttered, sitting up on his knees resting his arms on the desk. "You were afraid of being too happy?" Ryuichi blinked a few minutes at the unexpected guest then jumped and screamed, his finger pointing.

"How? When did you… How long were you there!?" Taki stood up and stretched, giving Ryuichi a catty glare.

"Long enough to hear you talk to your rabbit about apologies and your success phobia." He leaned over the desk so that he was only a foot away from Ryuichi. "You honestly had me feeling like a complete chump these last few days, you know that? I mean, I basically told you I wanted a future and you looked at me like I was out of my mind. The way I've looked at any chick who ever said that to me. I was crushed." He kept his gaze neutral and level with Ryuichi's, who was just short of trembling.

"Well, I, it's just, you were acting weird…" Ryuichi stammered as he looked down. "It caught me off guard. I didn't expect you to start talking like that."

Taki looked at him incredulously. "What do you mean like that? Is it really that strange for me to talk like that?" Seeing Ryuichi nodding slowly, Taki threw his hands up in to the air. "You and everyone else… So, we're clear than? You're not pissed off at me for thinking about something more and you understand that I don't hate you for acting all weird about it?" Ryuichi nodded again, this time much happier. "Then come on, we're going." Taki said as he headed towards the door, stopping so that Ryuichi could catch up.

"Where are we going? The work day isn't over yet?" Taki looked at him, shocked, then started laughing.

"Since when do you care about work? Besides, we're not ditching, we're taking… a personal day. If you can't get us out of work, then who can?" Ryuichi perked up and grabbed Taki's hand, now just as eager to leave.

"Just leave it to me!"

* * *

Tohma normally didn't like taking personal days, but he was always willing to make an exception for his favorite brother-in-law. Mika wasn't exactly there to entertain, apparently working in the garden on her roses, or rather yelling at the gardener. As they sat down to some hot tea, Tohma could already tell that Eiri was going to drop some sort of bomb shell on him. He found himself praying that it wouldn't be anything too horrendous or catch him terribly off guard.

"Say, that brat cousin of yours, Suguru, how old is he?" Tohma raised his eyes brows at the odd question, but decided not to question the bizarre interest in another person."

"He's sixteen and only a few months older than Tatsuha in fact. Why?" The blond shrugged, merely drinking some more of his own tea.

"Just curious. So does he live with you then?" Now Tohma was suspicious. Eiri was too interested in his cousin and he was going to have to figure out why.

"He has his own apartment, but only spends part of the week there. He prefers to stay here so that he can practice with me and no doubt so that he can have some company. On the weekends, he usually stays with his parents, unless it's inconvenient. Is there a reason for you to be concerned?"

The two stared each other in the eyes, Tohma daring Eiri to tell him the truth. Instead Eiri decided to respond with another question. "What about school? How does he do academically?" Tohma could instantly tell that this was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

Tatsuha sighed to himself as he sat down to analyze his to-do list. "Change the sheets, check. Wash dishes, check. Grocery shopping, check. Find Job… Argh!" He had been looking at the paper for hours and had found nothing that seemed appealing. What did kids his age do for work? Well, okay he knew the answer to that question, because his friends in school had crappy jobs, and so had Shuichi, if he was to be believed.

He didn't want to settle for some medium wage thing, but at this rate it was either that or be Shuichi's little wife… Which as far as he was concerned was the least appealing option of all. He was no one's drudge, least of all his lover's. If anything, it should have been Shuichi doing the work, well okay, considering the other's job, that was unrealistic. But, couldn't they get a maid or housekeeper, preferably one with the proper assets? Of course that question had earned him a slap. Shuichi had made it clear that they were only getting a domestic if both of them were working and if the older teen had his say, not one who was easy on the eyes.

He grabbed the news paper and scanned it one more time. Why do all these jobs blow so much? He grimaced to himself as he looked over the ads, none of them promising. Being a monk did have it's perks and he was sorely missing them right now. Speaking of monks, I wonder if the old man misses me yet?

Before he could contemplate things further, he looked down at his list, past the failed 'find a job option.' "Shit, I'm supposed to make dinner… Wait, why am I making dinner for him?" He sat down, now determined to find a job a score himself a semi-decent looking house keeper.

* * *

By now, Yuki knew everything about Suguru that there was to know, from the boy's shoe size, to his favorite foods, and also including all the birth marks he had (not that anyone wanted to know how Tohma knew about those.) The tea had gotten cold and Tohma was for some reason he couldn't name, in an extremely bad mood. Well, he could name the reason: he was annoyed that his brother-in-law had shown more interest in Suguru, then he had ever shown in Tohma himself.

"Eiri, I'll ask you one more time and I expect an answer: Why the interest in Suguru?"

Yuki raised an eyebrow and looked at Tohma coolly, obviously deciding that now was the time to answer. "I think he feels an attraction towards me." One could hear the pieces fitting together in Tohma's head at this statement, bit by bit. Eiri decided that now was the time to drop the even bigger bombshell. "And I think I'm interested in him too. In a purely physical sense of course." He couldn't stop smirking now as he saw Tohma crumbling. "In fact, I think I'll be leaving, now that I have the info I need."

He got up and left the room, Tohma apparently frozen, staring downwards into his glass of tea. In fact, he was left starring like that for a good thirty minutes before he spoke again. "…unacceptable… Both of you… Simply Unacceptable…"

* * *

To Be Continued…

Tohma threatens Suguru, who is rather clueless. Shuichi also gets wind of the Yuki's latest yearnings, and his reaction isn't one that Tatsuha likes. We also have Ryu/Takiness…

Before anyone cries out about Yuki admitting having feelings too soon, note that he didn't say anything about them being romantic. Not that he doesn't care for Suguru on a more platonic level, but the thing is, now that he's free, he wants to screw around a little and doesn't want a serious relationship. He basically wants to take advantage of Suggy for the moment. He told Tohma because he wanted to be mean to our favorite president. I'm just having fun at their expenses.

Also, Yuki/Shu fans… Sorry!!! So sorry about them not being together. I don't think they will be in this fic at all either. But, I may write a fic in the future to make up for it, maybe. And there are plenty of nice fics for the couple else where. Sorry to disappoint people. I have nothing against the couple personally, but I have no strong desire to write about them at this point in time.


	24. Chapter 24

Pairings: Ryu/Taki, TatsuhaxShuichi and Eiri/Suguru

Summary: More madness then one can stand. What else do you need to know?

Rating: PG-13. Some sexual references and language.

_

* * *

_

Tohma sat there, fuming the whole time as he waited for his cousin to get home. He usually considered himself a reasonable man and an open minded one at that. He was in the entertainment industry after all and couldn't exactly afford to be too conservative. Yet, there were things he disapproved of. His brother-in-law getting into a perverted relationship with his young cousin was a one of those things.

There was an issue of trust there on both accounts. Suguru's parents only allowed him to be a part of Bad Luck under the assumption that his older cousin would protect him from the evils of the music world. And even now, after all these years, he still felt it was his mission to help and protect Eiri, who regardless of how much he tried to deny it, was still the sweet and innocent boy he had been at sixteen.

Well, if he would admit it, he was also very, very jealous. He hadn't felt that way towards Shuichi because the boy was really so far removed from his personal life. And by the time he would have cared, that relationship had turned into a form of domestic boredom that no one in their right mind would envy.

The sound of the door opening jogged him out of his thoughts. "Tohma, you wanted to see me?" Suguru was looking at him, wide eyed and innocent. Don't try and pretend that you have no idea what's going on…

Of course, Tohma merely smiled and nodded. "Please sit. We have some _things_ we need to discuss."

* * *

"You've already gotten another job?" Shuichi glanced at Tatsuha out of the corner of his eye as he snacked on another container of take out. He was beginning to get very disappointed by the quality of food lately. It was probably time to actually learn how to cook.

Tatsuha nodded, grinning. "Coffee place. I get to start tomorrow afternoon. What do you think? Does that sound like a job someone my age would have?"

"Yeah…" Shuichi nodded as he finished off his meal, finding it just as hard to picture Tatsuha working in some service related job as it had been taking him seriously in that suit. It just didn't seem right or proper, but then again, maybe he was getting a little jealous? The singer merely shrugged, his mind going back to other worries. Something about what Suguru had done or said…

* * *

No sooner had Suguru sat down then Tohma had instantly thrown his question at him. "You've been hanging out with Eiri-san quite a bit lately. May I ask why?"

Suguru stifled the gasp that wanted to come out and looked down, not even sure why he was ashamed. "I didn't think it had been that much. I guess though it must have been for you to be so concerned." He looked up at Tohma, now even more shy as he wondered how bad this really looked. "As for why, I guess you could say that I really admire him. His writing moves me and I find him fascinating." The younger keyboardist blushed as he looked down, knowing he sounded like one of Yuki's annoying little fans.

Tohma's glare only confirmed his fears. "Well, I'll have to ask you to leave Eiri-san alone. He doesn't need to be bothered by the likes of you."

Suguru flinched and swallowed. "What do you mean by the likes of me? And why would I be a bother?" A part of him was annoyed by his cousin's tone, but he didn't want to anger Tohma any further and he could sense the anger radiating from the other, even if he hid it really well.

"I do not mean to say that you are a bad person or not worthy. It's just that there are very few people who are easy for him to be around and you aren't one of them."

Suguru wasn't surprised by the rather vague response he received, but Tohma's attitude was getting to be more than a little annoying. "I don't see how he would have a hard time handling many people. Yuki-san seems more than capable to me."

Tohma sighed, annoyed that his point wasn't clear. "Be that as it may, I do not think you should be around him anymore. It is for your own safety as well as his."

* * *

Yuki found himself smiling as he sat down to the lovely steak dinner he had made. "I wonder if Tohma's grilling that kid right now? Probably telling him that I'm a dirty pervert and that he doesn't approve of our corrupt relationship." The novelist laughed evilly to himself as he thought about how perfect this situation was. "Either that, or crying about how I'm weak and neurotic and must be left to my own devices."

* * *

"Yuki-san is not a pervert. At least not a big one." Suguru did have to concede that anyone who was attracted to Shuichi was no doubt a little off in the normalcy department, but that didn't make him a pervert.

"Trust me, he even told me himself that he was just using you for his own sick needs." Tohma nearly failed to hide his smile as he saw the look of hurt on his cousin's face.

Before Suguru could tell Tohma he was lying, someone else beat him to the punch. "Eiri isn't not that kind of person." Mika said as she entered the room, a look of quiet rage on her face.

"Mika-san…" Tohma had a look of fear on his face, like a child that had been caught stealing cash from his mother's wallet. She turned her gaze to Suguru, still grim.

"Don't listen to him. My brother does not have that sort of interest in you. Now leave while I straighten things out with my _husband._" Suguru nodded and scurried out of the room and the house, leaving the two alone. Mika then turned to Tohma, who had a nervous smile on his face.

"Mika, I can explain. It's not what it sounds like." She walked up to him and put a finger to his lips.

"Zip it, buster."

* * *

Suguru hurried down the streets, trying to get to Yuki's as fast as he could. He needed to find out the truth for sure. When he got there though, the door opened before he even knocked. "Yuki-san? How did you know I was coming?"

The novelist gestured for the boy to come in and closed the door behind him. "I saw you through the window. Did you eat anything?" Noticing the boy shake his head, Yuki headed towards his office. "Well too bad, I just finished supper. Need anything to drink?" Once again, Suguru shook his head no. "Good, then sit out here and keep quiet. I'm working. If you need anything, help yourself."

Suguru sat down and for a moment and mused to himself. A pervert wouldn't leave me alone. A pervert would be making all sorts of weird moves on me.

Meanwhile, Yuki was sitting at his computer, thinking about his plan. A plan which would only work if the kid came in here or was good and sleepy.

It was midnight when Suguru finally fell asleep and Eiri finally left his office. He lifted the boy gently from the couch and carried him to the bedroom. He then pulled the blankets over the both of them and wrapped an arm around his much smaller bed mate, grinning to himself. Let the seduction begin.

* * *

Shuichi had slept badly that night, as something had been nagging him. And then he had a horrible dream, which at first he had denounced as just that, a dream. A dream in which Yuki had been slobbering all over, of all people…

"Hehe. That's just sick. I mean those two wouldn't." He whispered to himself as he pulled up the covers over himself. He would have laughed at the stupidity of the dream, except he didn't want to wake up Tatsuha. "And why am I dreaming about those two…"

And then a rare thing happened. The pieces from last night fit together in his head. "No way. That little backstabber!" He was now standing on the bed causing it to wobble. "I'll kill HIM!" The volume of Shuichi's screech caused Tatsuha to sit up.

"Kill who?" Of course, the dark-haired teen was too tired to notice the look on Shuichi's face or question what was going on and instead glomped onto the older boy and pulled him down. "Kill who ever it is some other time. I'm sleepy."

* * *

When Suguru woke up that morning, he was surprised to wake up in someone's arms. Actually, Yuki's arms. He smiled as he curled up against the warmth and then quickly recoiled when he realized that he wasn't supposed to be in bed with Yuki. He quickly slid to the other side of the bed and stared at the other. He also quickly noted with relief that both of them still had their clothes on and that the sheets seemed to be completely dry, not moist from any sort of inappropriate substances.

The younger man then began to step off the bed slowly, but before he could react, an arm snaked around his waist and pulled him back onto the bed and into Yuki's arms. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, Yuki-san, what are you…" He gulped as he was squeezed even tighter.

"I drug you in here because it was a cold night. And I'm still feeling cold." There was something about the blond's tone of voice that sent a chill down Suguru's spine. It sounded as if the author was being seductive, but then again, he always sounded sexy.

"But, Yuki-san, I really need to go." Instead of listening, the author pulled him down, so that they were basically spooning.

"Too bad, you're staying." One could hear the evil smile in his voice. And Suguru was suddenly wishing he had listened to Tohma.

* * *

The job was better than most, all though Tatsuha still found himself incredibly bored. At least the customers seemed to like him, especially the girls. He would have been enjoying himself more if not for what Shuichi had went off about that morning. So what if Eiri and that brat have a thing going on? Why the fuck does he care?

As he heard the sound of the bell, he forced himself to put a smile on his face. "Welcome, how may help-" His jaw hung open when he saw who it was. "Ryuichi… And you…" He now looked annoyed. Both Ryuichi and his boyfriend Taki had just entered.

The pop idol was sporting a huge smile as he waved to the teenager. "Tatsuha! Wow! I can't believe you're working here! This is great! I bet the coffee must be extra good here then, right Taki?" He looked up at the younger man as he tugged on his shirt sleeve.

"It's probably poisoned." Taki was glaring back at Tatsuha, looking incredibly angry and jealous. The teenager glared back, an evil smirk forming.

"I assure you that our coffee is perfectly fine." Maybe I shouldn't judge Shuichi too harshly about the jealousy thing.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Yuki was leaning against the counter, watching impassively as Suguru hurriedly put on his shoes.

"Uh, away. I promised some people, some uh things." He finally managed to tie the final troublesome knot on his shoe and then stood up, trying to smile without looking nervous. "It was really nice hanging out here Yuki-san." He was heading out the door, sure that his freedom was now assured.

"Hey, kid, it's Eiri." Suguru stopped and blushed, nodding, but continued out the door anyways, not saying the word. The novelist sighed, finally frowning to himself a little bit. He had assumed that he would have been able have his way more easily. That's the way it had always been. Women were powerless against him, and even Shuichi, who had at one point been very special to him, had gotten into bed with him just as easily, especially for an avowed heterosexual. But, he hadn't gotten anywhere with Suguru.

Guess Tohma must have really gotten to him or something. I mean, I couldn't be wrong, could I?

* * *

Tatsuha watched the two singers out of the corner of his eye as he continued to wipe the counter, which by now was polished to perfection. They had only chatted for a little bit, Ryuichi excited and bouncing, Taki glaring the whole time. After a bit though, the two had become more focused on each other and Tatsuha was now just a fly on the wall.

The way they seemed to laugh, smile and touch, was just a little too weird as well. Partially because he wasn't as jealous as he would have been at one time. Granted, if Ryuichi was to come onto him right now, he would have taken the chance, no questions asked. But, the desire didn't consume him. It was strange, realizing that he had lost one of the driving forces in his life.

"Hey, Tatsuha, how's Shuichi?" Ryuichi's voice stirred him out of the thought and he looked at the pop star, mustering a smile of sorts.

"He's fine, I guess." Yeah, that is if you don't count how jealous he is over his ex, who happens to be my damn brother.

Taki glanced at him strangely. "You guess? Shouldn't you of all people know?" Tatsuha looked at him in annoyance and crossed his arms.

"He's a very busy man. I can't keep track of everything he does." The teenager looked at Taki, just a little suspicious. "Why do you care? I know you hate him. And me. Oh, and for the record, we don't like you either."

The dark-haired singer leaned forward, smirking. "Hey, maybe I just want to keep tabs on my favorite rival. And well, when some says, 'he's fine, I guess,' that means something's wrong, or you're afraid something's wrong. So, what's wrong? You realize he sucks in the sack? He cheating on you? Or did you finally realize how annoying he can be?"

Tatsuha felt ready to commit bloody murder and was about to say something that would probably cost him his job, when Ryuichi lightly whapped Taki on the head. "Taki, don't say such mean, un-shiny things. Tatsuha just forgot, right?" The idol smiled at the teen, who was caught off guard. "I'm sure Tatsuha's just sleepy, because he's up all night now that he has Shuichi, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Tatsuha said dumbly as he glanced back at Ryuichi, taken off guard. The older man was giving him a big smile, yet his eyes were serious, as if communicating some message. As if saying, 'Don't worry, it'll be alright.' "Yeah! Everything's fine, so there." He said triumphantly to no one in particular.

Taki stood, up rubbing the spot on his head where he had been whacked. "Whatever. Man, can't you take a joke?" He pulled out some cash and put it on the counter. "Come on, Ryuichi, let's go." He headed out the door, waving in an off handed manner.

Ryuichi jumped up and slapped some more cash on the table. "See you, Tatsuha!" He then ran out the door, crying for Taki to wait for him. Tatsuha's shoulders slumped. Is it really going to be alright though?

* * *

It turned out that Eiri was more upset about his little game not working out than he had thought. Once I find out what Tohma said about me, I'll kill him. He was also in the process of killing his laptop if he couldn't type a coherent thought soon.

But, before he could do so, there came a knocking on his door. Maybe the kid came back. He walked towards the door, hoping it was likely, but when he opened it, he found himself very disappointed. "Shuichi?" Not only had he thought he would never see the pink-haired singer again, but he was really surprised at how serious the other man looked.

"Yuki, we need to talk, now."

* * *

To Be Continued…

What are Shuichi and Eiri going to be talking about? Will Suguru ever be able to trust Yuki?

Soon this will be wrapped up, I can for see it. Not to fear for people who actually like it, because I will do a sequel sometime in the future, when I have time and my other fics are done. Meaning, don't hold your breath. If there is one thing I've learned, don't do more than one multi-chapter fic at a time. It's just too hard.

Also, as for your suggestion Akuma, they will have a last encounter of sorts. I can't guarantee anything satisfactory. And of course they aren't going to be all happy, happy joy-joy. I see for some of them, a dysfunctional sort of peace or calm if anything.

Also, about Taki's name. Taki is his actual given name. Tachi is a nickname that Ma-kun and Ken-chan call him, because they are really close friends. It's a softening of Taki basically. It's meant to sound cute and effeminate too, so not just anyone else could get away with calling him it except his friends, and possibly his fans.

And as for steamy scenes, who knows? I occasionally write lemons though.


	25. Chapter 25

Pairings: Yuki/Suguru, some TohmaxMika, Tatsuha/Ryuichi and Ryu/Taki.

Note: This didn't turn out like I expected it all. And Yuki/Shuichi fans, I'm sorry. But look on the bright. There's no lack of fics for that pairing anyways, so why get mad at little ole me? innocent smile

* * *

Chapter 25 

"What is it we need to talk about? I thought everything was over between us?" Eiri scoffed at the pink-haired boy, feeling a little offended at the prospect that things between them were going to be drug out. Shuichi shoved past him into the house, dragging the author with and slammed the door shut.

"Are you and Suguru Fujisaki dating?" The blond haired man raised an eyebrow as he stared at Shuichi, just a little surprised that he was being confronted with this. He found himself smirking.

"Why should I tell you? We're over, remember." Shuichi grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down so that they were eye level.

"Because, I don't like the idea of people thinking I'm a cheating whore when you were being one too." Eiri shoved him off and then straightened up.

"Cheating whore? What gave you that idea? Did that little brat say anything, because if he did it isn't true." He didn't know why he was being so defensive, but dammit, it wasn't Eiri who had started this whole thing. It was Tatsuha and that fact aside, the break up had been inevitable in his mind anyways.

Shuichi crossed his arms and looked down, almost guilty. "Nobody told me anything; I just figured it out on my own." They were silent for a few minutes, before the pink-haired boy spoke up again. "Why did it have to be him? Couldn't you have picked someone I didn't have to work with?"

Eiri chuckled, his laugh a combination of amusement and annoyance. "So says the one who ran to my brother."

"I'm serious!" Shuichi had his fists clenched and was now ready to foam at the mouth, as was typical when he lost his temper. "And besides, he's your brother-in-law's cousin and he's sixteen. That's much more wrong than what I'm doing!"

Eiri didn't say anything right away, mainly because in a sense, the novelist knew he was being selfish with Suguru. Finally, he just huffed as he squared his shoulders. "Yeah, okay, maybe it is. What are you going to do about it?" He smirked at the dumbstruck expression on Shuichi's face. Just as he had suspected, the kid had ran in here half-cocked, no plan in mind.

"Uh, well… Could you stop seeing him? Pretty please?" Shuichi had his hands clasped together and had his most pitiful expression on, his eyes clearly begging.

The novelist assumed a thoughtful pose as if considering it. "Well maybe I could…" He trailed off at the pink-haired boy's hopeful expression and felt an evil smile creep onto his face. "…Not. Defiantly not." The reaction was just as he expected, with Shuichi crumbling to the ground.

"You're so mean… What am I supposed to do at work?" He started sniffling, sounding more pathetic then usual.

"Just act like you always do, idiot. It's not like that brat even has a clue about what's going on." Shuichi looked up at him, wiping his eyes.

"You mean, Suguru really doesn't know anything? Nothing at all?" Even though he saw Eiri shake his head, Shuichi persisted. "Absolutely nothing? At all? Not a thing? Not even a kiss or a peck on the check?"

Eiri groaned, being reminded of just how annoying Shuichi could be. "Nothing! He has no idea what's going on! He's worse than you were when we first met!" Eiri's shoulders slumped, because he had finally realized just how upsetting Suguru's behavior was.

Shuichi shot up, fists shaking. "Hey, don't you dare compare us! I was much more annoying than he could ever be!"

Eiri was ignoring him now and slinking off towards the kitchen, to get a new pack of cigarettes. Damn, I hate it when I don't get my way… Stupid Suguru, stupid Shuichi, stupid Tatsuha, stupid Tohma. He found the pack he was looking for and was about to pop it open, when he felt a taping on his shoulder, courtesy of a now determined looking Shuichi. "You're still here?"

"What are you going to do about this, Yuki?" The glower from the novelist wasn't enough to make him back down this time. "I'm not just asking as an angry ex, I'm asking as an ex who still, cares about you, on some level…" He looked down, embarrassed now.

Eiri wanted to slap him for say something so stupid, but resisted. "Well…"

* * *

Suguru walked down the streets of Tokyo, trying to puzzle out his strange sense of disappointment. It seemed that everything Tohma had said about Eiri was true. The novelist had been using him for his own sick little game. It hurt, because well, even though Suguru knew that maybe some of his feelings weren't so innocent, he had still trusted the man and respected him. 

Why did he do that? Was he punishing me for causing him and Shuichi to break up? And if he's really like that, why does Tohma like him so much? And why would he say bad things about Yuki-san to begin with, when he's always said such nice things about him before? Maybe I should speak with Yuki-san, and ask him…

* * *

"Brat, tell me, what is it you want? If it's nothing important, then leave." Yuki glowered at him, hoping to make him shrivel. 

"Well, I just want one last favor." Shuichi blushed, now nervous. "I promise I'll never, ever bother you for anything ever again."

Yeah, right. Yuki kept this to himself though, and shrugged. "Fine, what is it?" Shuichi mumbled something, looking down once again. "What?" Shuichi slid a hand onto Yuki's cheek and stood up on his toes. He then pressed his lips to the taller man's, in a warm, soft, yet brief kiss.

"A good-bye kiss." He smiled gently, now looking very relieved. "Well, I'll be leaving, now that I said good luck. Bye Yuki." And once again, Shuichi had suddenly left, the door slamming behind him carelessly.

Yuki groaned to himself, his shoulders slumping. "Why does he always have to be so roundabout?"

* * *

"So, what?" Mika sneered as she looked at Tohma. They had been in the den for hours, discussing Tohma's recent 'issues.' It was a long and painful process, made even harder by how much Mika wanted to smack her husband. "He's a minor. So is Tatsuha, and you never felt any need to protect him." 

"But, Mika…" He couldn't stop himself from sounding whiney, but then again, even he could lose his self control after being left in Mika's clutches for so long. "It's just not right. Or fair. Eiri is supposed to come to us for help, not my cousin…"

"Do you even realize how you sound?" Mika sighed, as she rested her chin on her hands. "You sound like a small, jealous little child." Though, I will admit it is better then when you sound like jilted lover.

"How can you not be worried over Eiri or Suguru? They aren't a good combination."

She smiled softly at that, mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Well, they aren't a bad match either. Certainly not as bad as, I don't know, you and him together."

Tohma blushed, scandalized. "Mika! For the last time, I don't love him. I mean, I may have mistaken him for you that one time… But, the lighting was very poor…"

Mika rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me about that." They were silent for a moment, Mika fuming, Tohma worrying. "Listen, Tohma… Eiri doesn't do this these things because he hates you. He just happened to fall for Shuichi, which I may add, regardless of what happened, had been good for him. And now, he's showing an interest in your cousin, and regardless of what he says, I know it's not as a cheap fuck. Eiri's not that low and you know that."

"Yes, Mika." He had his head lowered, knowing that everything she was saying was perfectly logical. "But, what if this doesn't work out? And what about Suguru?"

"Suguru's a big boy, regardless of how he looks. He can handle himself." Tohma nodded once again. Mika chose that moment to walk over to him and sat down next to him on the couch. "Tohma, look at me." She turned his head so that he was looking into her eyes. "Promise me you'll leave them be. Please?"

"Mika…" He sighed to himself and nodded. "Alright, but I still don't like it." She stood up and headed away, no doubt to take a nap.

"No one said you had to like it. Just accept it."

* * *

Tatsuha was glomp attacked the moment he came home, by a very hyper active Shuichi. "Did something good happen today?" He grimaced as he sat up, the pink-haired boy still in his lap. 

"Tatsuha." Shuichi was grinning from ear to ear. "Guess what? You don't have to be jealous anymore."

"What are you talking about? I was never jealous of anyone." Okay, Tatsuha knew it was a blatant lie, but he still had some pride. He tried to get up, only to have Shuichi clinging to his neck now.

"I talked everything over with Yuki, and I'm now one hundred percent hunky dory!" Tatsuha's body tensed in surprise.

"You talked to Eiri? When?" Shuichi let go, sliding down to the floor.

"Today. Tatsuha?" The dark-haired teen had a gone look in his eye. "Uh, Tatsuha, we didn't do anything. It's really over…" Shuichi decided that it was best to leave out the little kiss.

"You and my brother… Alone in a room… Together." Tatsuha was unfortunately gone at this point and slowly got up and started walking to the living room like a zombie. Shuichi watched him leave, worried. Oh no. I broke him.

* * *

Yuki had spent the hour after Shuichi had left, slumped in a chair, going over certain things. Such as what he should do to get back in Suguru's good graces. In the process, he had come to several conclusions. He couldn't go around treating romance and sex like a game, at least not like the same game it had been before. It was insulting, especially to someone so young, and apparently with more self-esteem and will power than most of his past lovers. 

Well, the obvious thing is to talk to him. But I can't make it look like I'm begging. I don't beg. I'll just apologize and say I was feeling lonely and that it won't happen again. I'm sure he will buy that. He has to.

With that Yuki had picked up his cell phone, which still had Suguru's number from when the boy had ratted out Tatsuha and Shuichi and began to dial. As he waited for it to ring, he found himself praying that Suguru wouldn't hang up. Damn I can't believe I'm so pathetic that I need approval from some kid.

* * *

Suguru had found himself sitting alone in the park when his cell rang. He looked at the caller id and gulped when he recognized Eiri's number. He put it to his ear hesitantly. "Hello, Yuki-san… What, about this morning? You're sorry?" Suguru sighed to himself, wanting to say something snarkey, but thinking better of it. "You want to meet where? Okay, I'll be there." He sighed as he shut off the phone. 

I hope I don't regret this.

* * *

"Tatsuha, you're not mad, are you?" Shuichi asked as they sat down to a quiet, badly burnt dinner. Shuichi had figured that if he cooked, Tatsuha would be in a better mood. Unfortunately, his bad luck in the kitchen had translated into a soup that was black, with weird twiggy things sticking out of it. 

"No… At least not anymore." Tatsuha pulled a face at the muck in his dish, its scent wafting up, a combination of maple syrup and char. "I mean, you came back, so I'm just going to assume that everything is okay. It is, right?"

Shuichi nodded, somberly. "Yeah, I think seeing him one last time and saying goodbye properly helped a lot. Before that, I kept wondering if it would be like all the other times. If everything would just go back to normal in a few days like they usually do. But now, it's final." Shuichi filled his spoon with some soup and held it up to his face, sniffing it. He shoved it into his mouth and swallowed, making a face.

Tatsuha tasted his and grimaced. "Maybe it'll taste better if it cools down a little bit?" He shoved the bowl away, not intending to have anymore. "So, Eiri has a thing for that little twerp? Go figure." Tatsuha chuckled, munching on some crackers, hoping to get the foul taste out of his mouth.

Shuichi frowned, forcing himself to have yet another spoonful of soup. "Yeah, does he always date kids that young?"

Tatsuha shook his head as he continued munching. "No. Besides you, he was only interested in women his age or older. He always said they were more experienced and bought him better gifts."

Shuichi grimaced, not necessarily from the soup. "Yeah, sounds like him." He sighed, slouching back in his chair, finally giving up on his concoction. "Say, Tatsuha, since you have so much experience acting like this kind of stuff happens all the time, can tell me how to act around Suguru?"

Tatsuha raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by me having experience?"

"With weird, perverse and unusual relationships. I mean, I'm sure you've had to be around someone whose girlfriend you've slept with before or something similar. You know, that kind of stuff."

"Well, you don't have to make it sound like I'm that big a whore." Tatsuha mock pouted, then grinned. "Alright, here's what you need to do…"

* * *

By the time Suguru made it to the restaurant, Yuki was already there, waiting. Suguru sat down across from the blond man, nervously saying hello. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, before Yuki finally spoke up. "I took the liberty of ordering for you. It's just some coffee and cake. If you don't like it, too bad." 

Suguru felt himself bristle for a second. "It's fine. I don't mind at all. It's your money."

Yuki scowled at him. "Listen kid, about what happened this morning…"

"No need to mention it. You're a man with 'urges,' so it's not like I should be surprised." Suguru crossed his arms and looked away. Yuki wanted nothing more then to slap himself and Suguru as well.

"I didn't mean anything by it, alright. I know Tohma probably told you certain things about me and well, while most of it's true, there are certain things that aren't true." Suguru glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, still trying to maintain the mask of cool.

Yuki sighed, not wanting to lower himself like this, but knowing that in this case, it was different. Suguru wasn't like the women Yuki used for sex, but he wasn't like Shuichi either, not as strong or as aggravating. In fact, Yuki still didn't know what was so fascinating about the green-haired boy in front of him. The author just knew that he didn't mind having him around and the thought of possibly driving him away, was sickening.

"I'm not trying to get sex from you, although, I certainly wouldn't mind it." He smirked, seeing the flush on Suguru's face. "Yesterday, I was just fooling around and it went too far."

"Obviously." Muttered Suguru, though he didn't sound as angry, and there was a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

Yuki groaned, annoyed. "The point is, I'm sorry. I acted like a dog and that is unforgivable." The trick with getting the forgiveness of others, was in Yuki's experience, to be charming, humble and excessively polite. Plus, a few lies helped to sweeten the deal.

"Uh, that's okay. I mean, I should have expected that since… Well, I don't know…" Suguru was now facing him, or he would have been if he'd stop looking down. "I mean, why are you apologizing? I know that it's not in your nature to do that or, at least you aren't direct about being sorry."

Yuki sighed, slumping in his chair. "I suppose Tohma and Mika talk about me that much, huh?" Seeing Suguru nod, he groaned. "I don't know why I'm apologizing, okay? I just felt like I should. Besides, you are kind of interesting, in a way…" Yuki smirked at Suguru's confusion. Before Suguru could ask what Yuki meant though, the waitress finally arrived with their cake and coffee and it was made quite clear that the author didn't want to talk anymore.

* * *

To Be Continued… 

The next chapter's possibly going to be the last for this story, just so you know. Maybe one more chapter and an epilogue thingy. I might do a sequel for this fic in the future or at least some short stories related to it. I'm not sure yet.

And I'm really sorry about not having Ryu and Taki this chapter. Sorry! Next chapter, I promise! Damn… Talk about getting side tracked.

And note that this was mostly Yuki/Suguru. Really subtle relationship their. Just so you know, I don't see them kissing each other, let alone sleeping together for a very, very long time. Suguru is really inexperienced, and Yuki's willing to respect that in this case, because he knows that if things went wrong, it would hurt Suguru really badly. Plus, it's a lot of fun to tease the innocent virgin. grin


	26. Chapter 26

Rating: T, just in case

Pairings: Ryuichi/Taki, the whole chapter!

Summary: Our two main characters (that's right, this story was originally about Taki and Ryuichi, wasn't it?) face a milestone of sorts as a couple.

Sorry for those fans who have been waiting on this fic. I've been distracted by life.

* * *

Chapter 26

"Hey, Taki… I was thinking that maybe…" Ryuichi sighed deeply to himself before continuing. "Is it alright if I introduce you to my parents?" There was silence and Ryuichi smiled jumping up and down. "You will? I'm so happy!" The pop star twirled around so that his back was facing his partner. "This'll be great! You'll like Mom and Dad! Well, Mom can be a little smothering, but she's really nice! Oh, and little brother and sister will be there too! Well, I guess not so little. My brother's in high school and my sister's on her second year of college, but they're both really, really cool!"

His arms were waving about really animated now. "Everyone really wants to meet you too! But, they won't bite! I promise they won't! Though, you'll have to try and be polite and not be grouchy, but I'm sure they'll like you even if you are grouchy!" Suddenly Ryuichi gave a start. "And mom's going to make her famous beef pot! Well, it's not as famous as you or me, but it should be! Mom's cooking is to die for!" He spun around once again so that he was facing his companion once again.

Picking up the stuffed rabbit, he sighed. "Now, if only the real Taki would say yes." Ryuichi hugged Kumagoro tightly.

* * *

"Hey man, are serious are you? About Sakuma-san I mean?" Ma-kun gave Taki a side glance as he downed his can of beer. The two were in the guitarist's apartment, Ken having gone home to his parent's home for the week.

"Uh… I think so. Why?" He didn't like the question at all. He didn't like thinking of his current relationship in definite terms. It made him nervous putting it into words. Putting something into words made it real and solid, which meant it was breakable and not infinite.

His friend shrugged, having expected such an answer. "Well you better decide because he seems really serious."

"What makes you say that? Did he tell you anything?" There had been days when Ryuichi ended up hanging around the whole band just to be around Taki. He had seemed to really hit it off with Ma-kun and Ken-chan in the process, then again, Ryuichi seemed to have that effect on almost everybody.

"Eh… Nothing really blunt, more like a feeling. I've kind of developed a sense for this sort of thing so I could avoid any babes looking for a 'commitment." Taki snorted, but let Ma-kun continue. "Sakuma's like thirty, right? He's at that age where if you aren't settled down, well, the average person begins to panic. I mean, he likes kids, a lot. He spent ten minutes babbling about how cute Ukai's kid was yesterday."

"Kids?" Taki nearly choked. He never mentioned anything about kids… Well, he does tend to get all mushy whenever he sees some brat being cute, but he gushes over anything cute!

Ma-kun smirked at him, but shook his head. "He didn't say anything about having any, but I can tell he wants them… Sure sign of danger man."

Taki scoffed at that. "Well, so what if he does? Nothing I can do about it."

"Well, there's adoption or you can get a surrogate…" Taki groaned as he held his hands in his face.

"Why the hell do you even care?"

"Because what affects the vocalist affects the entire band. And you obviously haven't thought about this." Truth was, Ma-kun just enjoyed seeing Taki squirm. He knew very few people who could get as worked up as the vocalist. The guitarist also knew that Taki hadn't thought that far ahead. Not with someone like Ryuichi anyways.

"I shouldn't have to think about this stuff." Taki muttered petulantly, resting his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. "I'm not that old yet. I still have my whole life before me."

Ma-kun snickered, handing his friend a beer, knowing he was going to need it. "Well, that's not the only thing you should worry about. What if he wants you to meet his parents? Or even worse, meet your parents?" At the mention of his own parents, Taki managed to spray the mouthful of beer all over the place.

"Fuck…" He gasped, trying to clear his lungs. "They'll eat him alive. Hell, they'll kill me first."

"Well, you better start thinking about it. Because unless you plan on breaking it off with him, it's going to happen. There's no way it won't eventually happen." Taki wasn't even through half a beer and he already felt as if he was hung over.

* * *

Later on, when he had gone over to Ryuichi's, the conversation was still on Taki's mind. So much so that he hadn't been paying much attention to the fact that Ryuichi was acting unusually shy, not being nearly as clingy as he normally was. Granted, Ryuichi was up and about and not on the couch with Taki and the older man was still being his usually, energetic self, though it was a nervous energy. The younger man had bigger problems to worry about, namely, the sudden griping fear of commitment that refused to leave him alone.

While Taki may have been unaware of Ryuichi's behavior, the older man was certainly aware of Taki's. The younger man had this 'Don't bug me' aura that wasn't making Ryuichi's predicament any easy. Worse was the fact that he had already promised his family that they'd get to meet Taki this weekend. I have such a big mouth sometimes. If I don't bring him with, I'll look so lame.

Even Kumagoro was stashed away, as Ryuichi felt that the rabbit would say something to stress Taki out, which help at all. I have to handle this delicately… Darn it! I'm not good at being delicate!

"Taki, are you doing anything this weekend?" If he just eased Taki into the idea, Ryuichi was sure it wouldn't go too badly.

"Uh, What?" The younger man looked at him in confusion and Ryuichi repeated himself. "No, why?" Taki now looked a little suspicious, maybe? Sometimes it was hard to tell what the younger man was thinking, the droop to his eyes being quite deceptive at times.

"Well, would you like to go with me somewhere?" Say yes!

"Depends on where it is?" The older man resisted the urge to rip out his hair. Why do you make things sooooo hard?

"To meet some friends." Well, families technically are friends, friends with the same blood running through their veins.

"What kind of friends?" Ryuichi was now feeling pissed, an effect Taki sometimes had on him. Which Ryuichi had always found strange since he had always thought that the one you loved should be the person who made you the least angry.

"Just say yes, please?" Ryuichi clasped his hands together and smiled cutely, though it was easy to see an angry twitch on the corner of his right eye.

"Hmmm… Sure, alright." Taki figured it would just be easier to go along with the older man rather than to piss him off further. Ryuichi just wasn't as fun angry, in or out of bed.

"Alright! Make sure you're on your best behavior! Try to be nice and not so uh, opinionated, alright? Some people find you to be a little harsh." Ryuichi jumped once and spun around, arms out wide.

Realizing that he might have just fallen into a trap, Taki sighed. "Just where are we going?"

"To my Mom and Dad's house!" Ryuichi gave him a quick hug. "I told them you were coming to dinner. They really want to meet you!"

"Your parents?" Taki stared at him for a moment. "That's… nice." Ryuichi grabbed both of Taki's hands and pulled him off the couch so he was standing.

"You're okay with this, right? I mean, I guess I could tell them you're not coming if you really, really don't want to go? Sure, they'll be sad and Ryuichi will be sad as well, but if you don't want to…" Ryuichi pouted and managed to make him self look shorter than he already was.

"Damn it, I'll go! Stop the pitiful act!" Anything was better than having Ryuichi be all sulky and pouty. Taki found it so annoying because it always made him feel so guilty. He hated the fact that something so cute could make him feel that way.

"Hooray!" Now Ryuichi began dancing, pulling Taki along with him. "Kumagoro said you wouldn't want to go, that you would get upset!" Taki just let himself be drug around the living room, realizing that he had just passed up a possible opportunity to get out of this situation. After a while, Ryuichi slowed down. "This really does mean a lot to me Taki. My family's really important to me and so are you."'

He nodded, a little dizzy now. "Don't worry. You can count on me. I'll be on my best behavior. Are you sure the whole gay thing won't bother them?"

"Nope. They've known that I like both boys and girls for a very long time. So it doesn't faze them much anymore. Though, it's been a really long time since I introduced them to anyone. If you act normal, they'll act normal around you." Taki nodded along, still not quite believing he was agreeing to this. Ma-kun you bastard, you were right.

* * *

When the day had finally come, Ryuichi had been excited. But, by the end of the day, when the whole visit was all over, he was feelings seriously weirded out. He had never realized that Taki was such a good actor. The younger man, instead of being his slightly spastic self, had been the very definition of charm and poise.

Ryuichi's mom had been surprised by what a proper young man Ryuichi had brought home and had recommended that Ryuichi could learn something from him. Dad, while remaining his usual aloof self, had not indicated that he disliked Taki, which was a good sign and probably as good as he was going to get. And the siblings had liked him a lot. Particularly his sister who actually listened to music from ASK and had ended up gushing over the dark-haired vocalist quite a bit.

Ryuichi was actually feeling annoyed. Why isn't he that nice around me? Well, I mean he's nice to me sometimes, but he's so snippy usually, towards everyone. And so conceited normally! He seemed so fake!

He knew he should be happy that things had gone so well, but for some reason he was just irritated. The only good thing was that Taki had allowed him to drive. In fact they were in the car right now on the way home.

Of course, even though Taki was letting him drive, the younger man still felt the need to point out whatever it was that Ryuichi was doing wrong. "Hey, you need to slow down, you got a curve coming." Ryuichi not only ignored him, but slightly sped up for the curve in question. He just barely made it too and Taki was clinging tightly to his seat. "Jesus, slow down! You're going to get us killed one day!"

"What the hell was that back there?" Seeing Taki's clueless stare, Ryuichi decided to elaborate. "Why did you put up that act in front of my parents? Like you were some nice, polite, good little boy?"

"I thought you wanted me to be nice!" Taki was still clinging to the seat, though not as tightly. "You said to be nice. Be nice. Your exact words."

Ryuichi's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "When I say nice, I mean, don't be as mean as you normally are! You were acting all freaky like some sort of pod person. You seemed like a big faker! My family hates fakers!"

Taki let go of his seat and misadjusted his seat belt before he leaned back and crossed his arms. "Well excuse me. Some us were raised to act a certain way, alright? Some of us aren't taught that it's okay to be ourselves and express our own actual opinions in front of others. Besides, not like anyone other than you noticed I was acting 'weird."

The older man's shoulders slackened a bit, but only slightly. "I wanted them to get to know the you I know…" His knuckles weren't so white against the steering wheel now.

"Sorry… You mentioned parents and I guessed I freaked a little and figured I had to put on an act."

A chuckle came from the driver's side. "Why would you freak out over something like that?"

"Well, meeting someone's parents, that's a big step. Kind of an important one. You don't do that unless well, the relationship is getting somewhere." Taki was blushing now and looking away.

Now the older man giggled. "You're so cute!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just keep your eyes on the road." Ryuichi had nearly hit a rather large and Taki really didn't want to think about the terrible insurance settlement that could have resulted out of that.

They were silent for a while, both much more relaxed now. "Say, Taki… When do I get to meet your parents?"

* * *

Ryuichi wasn't exactly satisfied with the answer Taki had given about his own set of parents. The younger man had been evasive the whole trip and when they got home, Ryuichi had been jumped before he had a chance to try and question him further. And now Taki was asleep, looking to sweet to wake up. Besides, the younger man was always hard to rouse after sex anyways.

He slipped into some boxers and walked into the kitchen to fish a snack out of the fridge. Just as he had finally settled on a left over piece of cake, the phone rang. He leaning over the counter, he quickly grabbed it, so that Taki wouldn't wake up. "Hello? Mom?"

"Just checking to see if you got home alright dear. You know how bad your driving can be."

"Mom…" Ryuichi whined, annoyed that he was being nagged yet a second time today.

"You know I just worry about you dear. Plus, you had a passenger. You can't go endangering him now, can you?" He could hear the smile in her voice and it made him blush.

"Well, I'm fine and he's fine too." He was silent for a little bit. "Say, mom… About today…" He creased his forehead, trying to figure out how to say this. "Taki, he's not normally like that."

"Like what dear?" She sounded puzzled.

"Well, I mean, he's not normally so pleasant, well he's not unpleasant, it's just that he's well, you know, not so sweet all the time." She started laughing suddenly, which caught Ryuichi off guard.

"Honey, anyone could tell that. Why, it's to be expected."

"It is?" Ryuichi was in a state of disbelief now.

"Sweetie, no one acts like themselves when they meet their future in laws for this first time. Why your father, he…" Ryuichi wasn't quite hearing her now though, one thought going through his head… So I was mad at him for no good reason? Ryuichi suddenly had the feeling that he owed Taki an apology. A big one…

* * *

To Be Continued…

A few points:

1. They aren't adopting/getting their hands on any kids for a long time. They both need to do a lot more growing up and need to be with each other a lot longer. Not that Ryuichi won't be pushy about it.

2. I didn't do a whole scene with Ryu's family because I didn't feel that I needed to introduce four OC's to the plot.


	27. Chapter 27

Effort was, as the very word implied, a hard thing at times. And as far as Ryuichi was concerned, it was highly over rated. He preferred those tasks that came naturally to him. Such as singing, playing games and acting. Of course, even with those tasks, he was required to expend effort, especially when it came to singing. Because, in order to sing, you needed a song, and to get a song, you had to write one. Which Ryuichi never minded, except when the song had to be… meaningful and deep.

The vocalist had learned long ago that being deep was hard and writing deep lyrics, without it being stupid, clichéd sappiness was an almost impossible task. Tohma was far better at it and Noriko, while having no interest writing, did have a critical eye at the very least. Unfortunately, this wasn't something that he could ask either of them to do for him. It wouldn't have been right to have someone else finish the song he wanted to write for Taki.

He had just randomly picked up the paper with the unfinished lyrics last night and realized that he wanted to finish them. Of course, he already knew what Taki thought of them, sort of. It was hard to tell what was on the man's mind sometimes. He did know that Taki found them amusing, maybe even flattering, but that didn't guarantee anything. He might not like the finished version at all.

Hmmmmm…. I wonder if he'd let me sing them live?

* * *

"No." Taki said it coldly and without emotion, his arms crossed. Ryuichi looked up at him pleadingly.

"But, come on… You like attention, right?"

"Not that much. It's a dorky song and it'd be embarrassing if everyone knows that you'll be singing it for me…"

"No one has to know that I wrote it for you! No one will! It'll be an uber special secret just between the two of us!"

"You already blabbed to Seguchi-san and Ukai-san." Ryuichi swallowed guilty.

"Well, they don't count! Well, actually they do, but they aren't going to tell anyone… Then again, if it was good publicity, Tohma-chan might let it leak out… But, I'll make sure to tell him not to! If he does, Kumagoro will beat him up! Smack! Pow! Bam! Right in the kisser!" Ryuichi was now flying the rabbit around like it was superman.

The younger man merely shrugged. "I don't care. I don't want you singing that song in public. Or recording it in the studio either." And there went Ryuichi's only other option.

"Well, why not?" He whined pitifully. "I'm trying to be romantic and you won't let me. I wanna be romantic!" Now he started whimpering, hoping that Taki would fall prey to pity as the younger man usually did.

"Well… It's embarrassing when you do stuff like that." He was looking away now, and sounded a little shy.

The older man looked at him, now confused. "What's so embarrassing about that? Love's not embarrassing! It's cute, sweet and wonderful!" Sometimes, Ryuichi just really didn't get Taki. He had to wonder if the y younger man's heart three times too small like the grinch's.

"It is embarrassing. You act like a big dork, everyone stares and they _whisper_."

"So? I thought you liked it when I act like a dork?"

"Not in public!" Taki turned around and looked at him, now obviously getting exasperated.

"That can't be the problem, can it? You like it, I know you do." Ryuichi closed in on him and looked up into his eyes, daring him to lie.

"Yeah. But then, I have to do something stupid in return."

"Oh… So you mean, it's not that you don't like the idea, you just don't want to make a big gesture in return?"

"…" Taki nodded and then turned away again, stalking off towards the kitchen.

"You won't owe me anything in return! In fact, letting me sing the song will be your gift to me!" The older man called out after him, not yet ready to give up. Not by a long shot.

"Nope. I don't care. You'll just have to keep it all to yourself." Ryuichi was about ready to pout until he realized that Taki was smirking a little. The victory smirk. That insufferable little smile the younger man had whenever he won.

"Alright, you win. I won't let it go just beyond the being some words on paper." Of course, if Taki had been paying attention, he might have realized that Ryuichi was being insincere. Fortunately though, Taki was the type who didn't look any deeper than he had to, unless it was convenient for him.

* * *

"Uh Ryu-chan… If he said he didn't want you to sing the song, then you shouldn't sing the song." Noriko said to Ryuichi as he fidgeted next to her in the studio. "Some people just don't like big gestures."

"But, but, but, but, but… He's supposed too! It's normal!" At that Ryuichi fell onto the floor and began to roll around like a child throwing a tantrum. Okay, he WAS a child throwing a tantrum. A very big child.

"Not the way you do it." She sighed, wondering why she was even here. Oh, that's right, Ryuichi wanted her to help him with the song because Tohma had refused to. The blond keyboardist had felt that such a thing was below Nittle Grasper, more suited for a band like Bad Luck.

The vocalist stopped crying and stood up, looking at Noriko curiously. "What's wrong with the way I do things? What's so wrong with it?" He now sounded a little irritated.

"Well…" She touched a finger to the side of her face, now in thought. She had to phrase this right. "Tell me Ryu, how many normal dates have you had with him?"

"Uh, none. Why?"

"Well you see, Ryu, those big, odd and unforgettable moments you come up with are all really, really special, I'm sure. But, you gotta remember, not everyone's like you. Some people get tired of every moment being extravagant or strange. It's exhausting and after a while, well, it's just not as special as it should be."

Ryuichi sat a few minutes, obviously thinking hard, before he finally spoke. "So what you're saying is I should stop doing special things for him."

"Nooo!" She whapped him lightly. "What I'm saying is you should try being more subtle for once. Do something special but be subtle about it. Subtle! Understated! Got it?"

Even thought Noriko's hit hadn't hurt at all, Ryuichi rubbed his head and looked up at her cautiously, least she hit him again. "Okay, I got it. But, Noriko, what's subtle?" And at that moment she nearly exploded.

* * *

After that day, Taki was surprised to not find himself allowed over at Ryuichi's for a while. He would have worried that he had offended the other man, except for he still made time to go over to Taki's apartment. But, Ryuichi seemed to be very adamant that Taki not go over to his apartment. It was weird, even for the older man, but Taki accepted it. After all, Ryuichi had forgotten all about that song nonsense.

It wasn't that Taki hated the song, not at all. He rather liked it. But, he liked to think of it as a gift from Ryuichi of sorts. And Taki was not the type who liked sharing. No, he hated sharing. He didn't want anyone hearing that song ever. Yes, it was selfish on his part, but he didn't care. And Ryuichi would just have to get over it.

Though, Taki had been going out of his way to be extra nice to the older man, knowing that he had probably disappointed him. He even was doing little things that he normally would have refused to do for Ryuichi, both in and out of bed. Taki had been surprised to learn that being a little generous sometimes really wouldn't kill him.

Still, it didn't necessarily feel natural either. Especially when he didn't get anything in return. Which was unusual, as Ryuichi was normally more responsive. Maybe he really was depressed? At least, that's what Taki had been thinking about before he found a little letter tucked under his nightstand. It was written in Ryuichi's incredibly horrible kanji. Taki had never been able to figure out how a guy who could speak perfect, fluent English could be so bad at his own native language. It took him a bit to finally make out the message.

"So, I'm finally allowed back at his place?" Taki looked down at the letter and shrugged. He didn't know if he really wanted to think about what was going to happen. It could be something really annoying to make up for not being allowed to sing the song.

* * *

When he did get to Ryuichi's place, he found the door unlocked and entered after his knocking went unanswered. The first surprise was that the place was unusually clean. And he knew it shouldn't have been, because Ryuichi's maid usually left after four o' clock, which gave the man plenty of time to dirty up the place.

Secondly, the lights had been dimmed, candles were lit up every where and there were flowers strewn about. Most of them red roses. The only thing missing was some incredibly sappy, romantic music. "Ugh…" Taki muttered, glancing around for any sign of Ryuichi.

Seeing a light coming from the kitchen, he was about to walk in when a voice called out. "Taki, don't come in! Just wait a moment, 'kay?" Taki huffed to himself slightly and decided to sit down at the table in the dining room which was nicely set and had its own huge assortment of candles.

After a more minutes, Ryuichi came out carrying a big platter of food and hurriedly set it down on the table. The singer served the dinner quickly and than sat down across from Taki, with a big expectant grin. "Uh… What is all this?"

"Ryuichi's own super romantic, no holds barred, yet very, very super subtle romantic dinner!" Taki raised an eyebrow than stared down at his plate. The meat looked edible, sort of…

"Did you make this from a box?" He poked at it questioningly.

"NO! I made it with my own two hands! Kumagoro saw me! If he was still here, he'd tell you so!" Taki looked around for moment, wondering where the plushie had gone. Maybe the singer had sent the rabbit away, as he often did. Ryuichi claimed that there activities were not fit for the rabbit's virgin eyes. "But, come on! Let's eat! Then you can see how good my cooking really is!"

* * *

As it turned out, the food had indeed been Ryuichi's own cooking. Nothing else could end up making Taki feel sick in that, 'ill, but not ill enough to hurl' sort of way. It was disconcerting, but not so much that Taki was ready to call it quits for the evening. He had decided to hide his displeasure on account of the fact that Ryuichi seemed so intent on having a perfect little evening.

The older man wasn't present at the moment having run off somewhere, promising to be right back. Ryuichi had been acting very oddly as he left, asking that Taki not get mad at him. He had resisted asking why he'd be upset, deciding that it was best to wait until Ryuichi had actually offended him before losing his temper.

Out of no where he could hear the radio playing suddenly. The voice was Ryuichi's, deep, luxurious, filled with the sort of power that only the legendary singer could muster. But, he couldn't place the song, having never heard it before. Which was strange, since he knew he had heard every Nittle Grasper piece out there. The words did seem oddly familiar though.

Wait a moment… Is this?

At that moment he felt a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, someone's chin resting on his shoulder. "I didn't break my promise completely. Only you get to hear this song, no one else."

"You still did something I told you not to." Taki said it quietly, not moving.

"Yeah, but do you like it?"

"Of course I like it. Though, it's bad enough the fan girls call me an angel, but to hear you do it too…"

Ryuichi chuckled, holding on a little tighter now. "Well, it's true. You are an angel. A kinda scary one, but an angel none the less."

"Sweet talker. You're just trying to get laid." Taki glanced up at Ryuichi, now amused.

The older man chuckled. "Well, we'd have ended up in bed either way, song or not. But, I do expect a lot of sex for this."

"Pervert."

"Romantic sex." Ryuichi was giggling now.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Next time, tying up the loose ends, well, as much as I possibly can. Don't beg me to right more, because it's not going anywhere.


	28. Chapter 28

Warnings: Odd pairings. Minor sexual references, but nothing too bad.

* * *

"Uh, so you see that's the story." Tatsuha scratched his head as he looked down at his father nervously. The temple had never felt so stifling in his life and his father had never seemed so intimidating. He'd had the conversation planned out years in advance, but that had been when he was lusting after Ryuichi.

His father, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, had his usual look, one of shock, yet also the look of one who had already been put upon too many times before. "You mean to tell me that you were turned by that tramp as well?"

"Was turned a long, long time ago Otou-san."

The old man twitched slightly, but decided to ignore him. "Well, I suppose if Eiri comes to his senses, it's not such a big deal…" The old man was still even now optimistic about Eiri.

The dark haired teen chuckled. "Trust me, he's still not interested in having children… Though, he sure likes them underage."

The old man's eyes went wide and he grabbed Tatsuha by the shirt collar, dragging him downwards. "What? Eiri's become a pedophile! An abomination?"

"Well," Tatsuha scratched his chin, "the kid's sixteen." Seeing his dad's face, Tatsuha laughed even more. "Eiri claims he's not interested in the shrimp, but you can tell that it's a lie. I personally think he just likes having people fawn over him mindlessly, especially young cuties. Makes him feel less old."

The old man let go of him and was sitting down again, looking as if his spirit had left his body. "What did I ever do to deserve such unruly children?"

"Beats me." The teen shrugged. "Well, I gotta get going now. It's a long, long trip back to Tokyo as you know. Bye, Otou-san."

"But, I want Grandchildren." The old man whimpered plaintively, but Tatsuha ignored him. The confrontation had gone much better than he had thought it would. Now he was free to do whatever he wanted with Shuichi and not have to worry about being drug home at a bad time.

* * *

"But, I'm caught up on all my homework!" Suguru yelled at his teacher, getting aggravated. Suguru had always managed to have perfect grades and to do all his work, regardless of his busy life. He had to, otherwise his parents would never have let him be part of Bad Luck.

The teacher straightened his tie and sighed, as if Suguru didn't know any better. "We thought so too, but your cousin informs us otherwise." The sixteen year old twitched at the mention of Tohma, who was slowly on his way to becoming one the boy's least favorite people in the world.

"My cousin?"

"Yes, Seguchi-san informed us that you've been letting some sort crush get in the way of doing all your homework."

Ugh… Tohma…

"We've been lenient because of the fact that you do have such a busy career at such a young age, but he and we as well, feel that it would probably do you some good to attend some classes instead of looking towards tutoring to solve the problem. Maybe meet some people your own age. A young man such as yourself should not be dating out of his age group after all."

"My social life is my own choice though. And I don't like him that way!" The teacher looked even more bothered now at the mention of the word, 'him.'

"Uh… Well… Not that we don't encourage exploration but at you age and current level of achievement, but we don't think…" The man was red faced and sputtering now, not happy about this new can of worms. It was all Suguru could do to stop himself from kicking and screaming.

* * *

Tohma was looking at some pictures in his office that morning, contemplative. They were of him and a young Suguru. He then looked at a picture of Eiri, one when the author had still been young. "So I suppose this means we're not just competing in the world of music, eh Suguru?" He creased the edge of one the pictures lovingly with his hands, a fond look flitting over his face. His cousin didn't know what he was in for.

* * *

"Oi… Shuichi, do you find it strange that you're here early and Fujisaki is late?" Hiro asked Shuichi as he reclined back in the chair, looking around the studio as if he expected chaos at any minute. It was an unprecedented turn of events that Shuichi was not late and it was actually a little unnerving to him. Punctuality was not one of the singer's strong suits.

Shuichi shrugged, too busy staring at the ceiling. "The only reason I'm here is because Tatsuha went back to Kyoto, so it was boring at my apartment."

Hiro snickered, amused at the way Shuichi had changed. When he had been dating Eiri, he'd be whining loudly instead of being all bored and sulky. "So… How different is he from Yuki-sensei?"

"Well, he's nicer, but more perverted, stupider, smokes a different brand of cigarettes, doesn't act all high and mighty…" Shuichi had been getting a lot of questions from a lot of different people, who were convinced that Tatsuha was Eiri's twin, and thus couldn't be that different from the author.

"No. I meant, bedroom-wise."

"Hiro! When did you become a pervert?" Shuichi looked positively scandalized.

"Hey, I'm not being perverted, I'm just curious. If you go by appearance, they might as well be the same guy, right?"

"Well," Shuichi looked around quickly to make sure no one was listening than leaned in closer to Hiro. "Well, when Eiri comes, he's really quiet, but Tatsuha..."

* * *

Eiri Yuki didn't believe in the myth that if you sneezed, it meant someone was talking about him. But, when he sneezed for the second time that morning, right into his morning cup of coffee, causing the other customers at the café to look at him funny, he decided that he might have to change his mind.

He glanced down at his watch and sighed. Mizuki was late, which was unusual for the editor. She was the one who had wanted to go over how they were going to promote the new book after all. The plan had been to give a select number of people advance copies of the book. He'd made sure to point out that he wanted a certain special someone to get a particular advanced copy.

He found himself smirking evilly as he imagined Suguru's face. The boy was so much fun to tease and torture. Of course, he probably should have felt bad for the tensions that he had created between Suguru and Tohma, but that actually amused him too. It meant that Tohma was distracted for the moment, which meant that Mika would be distracted and thus wouldn't bug him anymore. Life was looking pretty nice right about now he had to admit.

* * *

That day at Ryuichi's apartment, the singer decided to lay a rather big question on his boyfriend. "Hey, Taki do you think I could be an actor?" The question was out of the blue, as were most of Ryuichi's questions, so Taki was more confused than surprised.

"Well, you do have this gift for getting people to think you're one way when you're really a whole different person, so maybe." It was a disturbingly scary gift, but Taki did have a certain admiration for the talent. He wished he was as good at disguising his true self.

The singer had Kumagoro wave his arms in the air excitedly, bouncing the rabbit up and down to imitate jumping. "Hooray! But, do you think America would be a better place to be an actor or Japan?"

"Either place, though in America, people probably wouldn't judge you by your singing as much."

"Oh… So you wouldn't mind if I went to America and became an actor?"

Taki glared at him viciously, beginning to think that this was no longer just idle small talk. "Yes I would mind." It may have been selfish of him, but he would not have his boyfriend running off to America and leaving him there. And if he did, Taki was not going to be able to go with him. The younger man's musical career was here and he wasn't giving that up, not for the world. Not that Ryuichi was being serious, but Taki had learned to be cautious.

"Then Japan it is!" The singer glomped him and started kissing him all over. Taki just glared at him silently, asking himself why he chose to deal with such a weird guy. "I love you!" Oh yeah, that's right, it was that love crap.

"Love you too"

* * *

The End 


End file.
